Everyone knows sugar is bad for your health and your teeth. It’s not great for the environment either. The best thing to do is to cut down, but a diet devoid of sweetness isn’t going to make anyone happy. Switching to a natural sweetener can be a healthier choice, but are they more sustainable? We examined the environmental footprint of four of the most popular options to determine which one offers the best deal for the planet.
Stevia
Stevia is a popular natural sweetener because it’s powerfully sweet without any calories. Native to South America, stevia is cultivated on multiple continents, with China being the largest producer. The production methods used in China, where sustainable agriculture is not yet widespread, are not well-documented.
Paraguay is the second-largest producer of stevia, after China. There, it has traditionally been grown by indigenous farmers, who have largely been excluded from the industry in a straightforward case of biopiracy. Sweden’s Real Stevia Company is one supplier that sources stevia from smallholders in Paraguay and processes it in the country.
Stevia is a relatively low-impact crop, requiring less land and fewer inputs than sugarcane or corn. A carbon and water footprint assessment from PureCircle, one of the largest stevia producers, found the carbon footprint of stevia to be 79% lower than high fructose corn syrup, 55% lower than beet sugar, and 29% lower than cane sugar per unit of sweetness.
According to Cargill, which produces many stevia products, EverSweet® stevia sweetener has the lowest impact score on land use, climate change, ozone depletion, and ecotoxicity among their sweetener products. A 2025 report published in Nature also demonstrated that sustainable cultivation techniques, utilizing bioinsecticides and optimized growing conditions, can further reduce environmental impact.
But buyer beware – there are also brands of refined and even artificial stevia on the market. Read labels carefully.
Recent Innovations in Stevia Sustainability
Significant advances in stevia production have improved its environmental performance. A 2023 life cycle assessment from the University of Surrey found that stevia-based sweeteners produce only 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions of sugar while providing the same sweetness.
Stevia is just one form of sweetener made from the plant. Recent innovations in Reb M, a stevia extract, use bioconversion and fermentation technologies to reduce its impact. According to a 2024 study by the manufacturer Ingredion, fermented sugarcane Reb M requires 88% less energy while reducing water use.
Honey
Honey has the potential to be the lowest-impact, even net-positive, natural sweetener because it can be produced at home. Not only will your honey be produced without processing, but raising bees will encourage you to garden more sustainably, and the bees will provide the vital ecosystem service of pollination for you and your neighbors.
Not ready to become an apiarist? Commercial honey is a bit more complex. Beekeepers frequently transport their hives long distances to pollinate crops. Moving hives has significant environmental and economic benefits, but it generates the majority of carbon emissions associated with honey production. On average, producing one kilogram of honey generates approximately 1.5 kg of CO2-equivalent emissions, and that amount varies based on point of origin, transportation methods, and beekeeping practices. For instance, honey from China and Mexico averages 0.7-0.8 kg CO2e per kilogram, while Italian and Spanish honey can be as high as 1.2-1.44 kg CO2e per kilogram.
Regenerative Beekeeping Practices
A growing movement toward regenerative beekeeping practices is emerging. A 2025 study found that honey bee colonies housed on regeneratively managed rangelands produce better-quality honey and improved sustainability outcomes. Regenerative practices include regular hive rotation, the use of native flowers in plantations, and the reforestation of nearby areas. In Mexico, some beekeepers implementing these techniques have observed a 20% increase in honey production and a reduction in hive losses during drought periods.
Canada has also adopted hive rotation practices, moving colonies between different areas to facilitate the regeneration of local flora. This system has been demonstrated to reduce soil erosion and increase the availability of pollinating plants, resulting in a 15% improvement in honey production.
Although honey can be certified organic, the value of organic certification poses a sticky question. Even when the crops pollinated by commercial honeybees are organic, it’s impossible to guarantee that bees only visit organically grown flowers. For most crops, organic is more important than local for sustainability. In the case of honey, the transparency and minimal processing of locally produced varieties may be more meaningful than organic certification.
Pure honey undergoes very little processing. Some honey is pasteurized, but unlike dairy products, heat is not required to provide food safety. Raw honey requires less energy and is arguably healthier. Especially since there have been reports of adulteration and contamination in imported honey, buying local (or at least domestic) raw honey is the next most environmentally friendly option after beekeeping.
Maple Syrup
Unless you live in the Northeast, backyard syrup production is not an option. And even if you do, producing maple syrup is a lot more time-consuming than backyard beekeeping. But like honey, maple syrup is a minimally processed, all-natural sweetener whose production can have environmental benefits.
Although maple syrup is a relatively sustainable product in terms of land use and pesticides, it does generate carbon emissions. Converting maple sap into syrup is an energy-intensive process. Hours of boiling in an evaporator traditionally require about 30 gallons of oil to produce one gallon of maple syrup. Traditionally, maple syrup is heated with wood, which also produces unhealthy smoke.
Reducing Maple Syrup’s Carbon Footprint
Recent carbon footprint research by the University of Michigan has revealed significant opportunities to reduce emissions from maple syrup production. Implementing reverse osmosis technology delivers the largest reduction, cutting energy use by 54% to 77% and emissions by 57% to 82%, depending on production size and evaporator fuel type.
Modern maple syrup producers are increasingly adopting energy-efficient technologies, including reverse osmosis systems and modern evaporators. In Quebec, producers have set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 29% by 2030 through the adoption of cleaner evaporators. Electric evaporators, particularly when used in regions with clean electricity like Quebec, can reduce transformation emissions by up to 82 times compared to oil-fired systems. Wood pellet evaporators also offer significant improvements over traditional fuel-oil systems.
Despite these emissions, the demand for maple syrup serves as an incentive to conserve carbon-storing woodlands that may otherwise be lost to development or more intensive forms of agriculture. Maple forests store carbon while producing syrup, and sustainable forest management practices ensure these ecosystems remain healthy for future generations. In the end, maple syrup may be a carbon-positive industry despite its processing emissions, as the carbon sequestration by healthy maple forests can offset production impacts.
Agave
Mexico is the only source of agave nectar and syrup, which can be made from many different species of the native agave plant. The plants live for more than five years before flowering and dying. Agave nectar is harvested from the flower; the sap is purified into syrup, which is sold as nectar in the U.S.
When grown for sweetener rather than mezcal or tequila, agave is cultivated on large monoculture farms, which reduces local biodiversity and carries other environmental impacts. However, agave is a comparatively low-impact crop. It requires minimal water and, in some cases, is even harvested by hand rather than using gas-powered machinery. Agave has an estimated carbon footprint of 0.1 kg CO2-eq per kilogram of sugar.
Agave Restoration and Bat Conservation
When allowed to grow to full maturity, agave plants support populations of bats. The endangered long-nosed bat is a crucial pollinator in the desert, feeding on the flowers of agave plants. Unfortunately, the surge in tequila and mezcal production has led many farmers to harvest agaves before they flower, eliminating a crucial food source for these migratory bats.
A groundbreaking solution has emerged through the Agave Restoration Initiative, a binational collaboration between Bat Conservation International and partners across the U.S. Southwest and Mexico. As of January 2025, the program has planted over 116,000 agaves, protected or restored over 13,500 acres, supported 26 community and private nurseries, and created over 250 local employment opportunities.
The initiative works directly with farming communities to implement sustainable practices that benefit both bats and farmers. Some producers are participating in bat-friendly certification programs that allow a portion of their agave crops to flower, supporting bat populations and maintaining genetic diversity in agave crops.
Buying organic and fair trade agave nectar can eliminate many of the most common negative impacts of commercial agave production. Look for products that support bat conservation and sustainable farming practices.
A Sweet Choice
Compared to the sugars added to most commercial foods, the environmental impacts of these natural sweeteners have not been well studied. Certain types of honey and maple syrup may be better alternatives to stevia or agave. However, based on the available information, they are more sustainable choices than cane sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. They may even have environmental benefits.
Feel free to choose any of these natural sweeteners based on flavor, availability, or baking performance. Whichever one you choose, organic, fair trade, and local brands are, as always, the best choice.
Editor’s Note: Originally published on August 16, 2021, this article was updated in September 2022 and October 2025.