LONDON – Greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s top meat and dairy producers increased further this year, highlighting the urgent need for the food industry to clean its practices and help prevent global warming.
Disclosed emissions from the world’s 20 largest publicly-listed meat and dairy companies rose 3.3 per cent from 2022 levels, according to a report by investor network Fairr Initiative. Its analysis includes companies like Hormel Foods in the US, a supplier to McDonald’s, and China’s top feed producer and meat giant New Hope Liuhe.
“The sector is just not on track,” said Ms Thalia Vounaki, senior manager for research and engagements at Fairr.
The food industry’s climate footprint is immense, accounting for about a third of global greenhouse gases. Livestock, which releases potent methane, makes up 14.5 per cent of worldwide emissions.
That underlines the need to focus on food and agriculture as world leaders gear up for the upcoming COP28 summit in Dubai later this month, Fairr said in its report. The group of investors raises awareness about the environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities in the global food sector, and is backed by more than US$70 trillion (S$95 trillion) in assets.
The United Arab Emirates has called for commitments to transform the food industry, while the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation is set to unveil a net-zero roadmap for the sector.
Fairr’s report highlights that some companies have managed to reduce their emissions, such as Tyson Foods and Danone. But overall there are varying levels of climate commitments and disclosure, it said. Almost two-thirds of the companies it analysed didn’t disclose so-called Scope 3 emissions, which include those that occur indirectly along a company’s value chain. Only four out of top 20 companies in the sector have net-zero aims.
The report highlighted that the livestock industry has seen improvements in areas such as alternative proteins, waste and pollution and water use. While that shows “bad practice is not an inevitable part of the food supply ecosystem,” the investor group urged for more progress on environmental aspects.
“We’ve long known that humanity can’t fix climate change without fixing the way we feed the world,” according to Mr Jeremy Coller, private equity investor and founder of Fairr. BLOOMBERG
