This is a genuinely interesting question rather than a foregone marketing conclusion, so let's actually work through it rather than just asserting faba bean wins.
What makes a crop 'sustainable' in this context
For protein crops specifically, the main factors worth comparing are water use, land use per gram of usable protein, fertiliser input requirements, and soil health impact — covered individually across this week's posts.
Faba bean's genuine advantage: nitrogen fixing
As covered in Week 2, faba bean naturally fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil as it grows, reducing synthetic fertiliser requirements — a real, measurable agricultural advantage shared with other legumes like peas, but not with non-legume crops like rice.
How it compares to other Australian-grown protein crops
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Faba bean and pea share the nitrogen-fixing advantage — neither is uniquely superior to the other on this specific measure.
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Rice, while a valuable protein-blend component, doesn't share this soil-health benefit and generally requires more water to grow than either legume.
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Compared to soy at a global level, Australian-grown faba bean offers a crop-diversity advantage rather than a straightforward superiority claim — diversity itself is a sustainability consideration worth valuing.
The honest answer
Faba bean is genuinely one of the more sustainable protein crops grown in Australia, sharing top billing with pea rather than standing alone as an outright winner — and that's exactly why GC Proteins uses both together rather than betting on a single ‘most sustainable’ crop.
This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice. Protein, sugar and label figures reflect GC Proteins' published nutrition panel; always check the pack in front of you, since formulations can be updated. Speak with a doctor or accredited dietitian about your individual protein needs.