The objective of this paper is to develop an effective quantitative method to assess the sustainability of Italian beef cattle rearing while avoiding the complexities connected to greenhouse gases estimation. A methodology based on Principal Component Analysis is utilized to calculate a set of environmental pressure indices using data taken from the FADN database. Results are presented for the single stages of production and methodologies utilized, highlighting significant differences among them that are also confirmed by the available literature in the field. Finally, a ranking of different supply chains casts some doubts on the sustainability of the typical Italian production scheme.