While 17 of the companies included in the study have made net-zero commitments—compared to just 4 in 2020—the commitments appear to heavily rely on carbon offsetting, which involves funding projects that compensate for emissions, rather than decarbonization, which would directly address the source of emissions.
While it’s a promising sign that more meat and dairy companies are considering their emissions impact, they need to be doing more, says Maya Bach, the study’s lead author. “What we see here is that they are scratching at the surface, sharing pilot projects or initiatives that yes, reduce emissions, but not at the scale or the scope that we need in order to make a meaningful impact.”
In some instances, according to the study, companies announced ambitious climate initiatives, though they were often at a small scale. One company announced it would launch a “regenerative agriculture pilot” on 24 farms—which represented just 0.0019% of its operations. Other examples noted by the researchers include companies citing small changes that are limited in impact, like providing microwaves in the cafeteria to encourage employees to bring their own lunch or reducing their plastic use by making the packaging tape narrower.
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