Summary:
Most environmental claims made by the world’s largest meat and dairy companies lack verifiable support, according to a study published in PLOS Climate. Researchers from the University of Miami analysed 1,233 statements issued between 2021 and 2024 by 33 major producers.
The analysis shows that 68% of these claims focused on climate-related issues, while 38% were unverifiable future projections, including targets such as carbon neutrality by 2030. Only 29% of the claims included supporting evidence, and just three were backed by peer-reviewed scientific research.
Using a defined assessment framework, the researchers classified 98% of all claims as greenwashing. Seventeen companies have introduced net-zero commitments, but these often rely on carbon offsetting rather than direct emissions reductions. The sector accounts for at least 16.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 57% of emissions from the global food system.
— Press Release —
98% of all recent environmental claims and commitments from the world’s largest meat and dairy companies can be categorized as ‘greenwashing’, or intentionally misleading
The vast majority of environmental claims from the animal agricultural industry are misleading “greenwashing” that relies on vague promises or projections, according to a study published April 22, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Maya Bach and Jennifer Jacquet from the University of Miami, United States, and colleagues.
The meat and dairy industry accounts for 57% of total global food production emissions and at least 16.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, Bach and colleagues investigated recent environmental claims made by 33 of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies to assess whether these claims outlined clear and achievable ways to reduce their environmental impact, or if these claims were “greenwashing” (deceptive or intentionally misleading).
The authors analyzed 1,233 environmental claims drawn from the publicly available sustainability reports and websites of 33 of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies (data spanning from 2021-2024).
841 claims (68%) were classified as climate-related because they directly or indirectly addressed GHG emissions or the impact of climate change – highlighting how climate change has become a primary way to frame sustainability commitments. 467 claims (38%) were unverifiable future projections such as “achieve carbon neutrality by 2030” or “enable the restoration of 600 billion liters of water in water-stressed regions by 2030.”
The authors found company-provided supporting evidence for 356 (29%) of the 1,233 studied claims; scholarly scientific evidence was provided to support only three of these claims, two of which were climate-related. 17 of the 33 companies have now also made net-zero commitments (up from just 4 companies with net-zero pledges in 2020). These commitments appear to rely on offsetting carbon emissions rather than decarbonizing directly. Finally, the authors examined the studied environmental claims using a greenwashing framework and found that 98% (1,213) could be categorized as greenwashing, such as “produce net climate-neutral dairy by no later than 2050.”
The authors note that promises, unverifiable claims, and greenwashing are not strategies unique to the meat and dairy industry, though animal agriculture does have a disproportionately high impact on global greenhouse gases.
“Greenwashing was rampant in the sustainability reports of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies, which can create the illusion of climate progress,” said Maya Bach, a graduate student in the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy and lead author of the study. “We are concerned that these claims can mislead the public, influence consumers, and reduce pressure on policymakers to take climate action.”
“Meat and dairy companies are talking a lot about climate change, which makes sense because animal-based foods lead to more emissions and other environmental impacts than other kinds of foods” said Jennifer Jacquet, a professor of Environmental Science and Policy and corresponding author on the study. “But when so much of what these companies say seem to be empty promises that are not backed up with evidence or investments, it starts to look more like a public relations exercise rather than caring for the planet.”
Journal Reference:
Bach M, Loy L, Mach KJ, Shukla McDermid S, Jacquet J, ‘Environmental claims, climate promises, and ‘greenwashing’ by meat and dairy companies’, PLOS Climate 5 (4): e0000773 (2026). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000773
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by PLOS
Featured image credit: Sergio Zhukov | Unsplash
