When a company promises to save the planet by 2050, it sounds reassuring. But what if that promise comes with no real plan, no credible evidence, and no accountability? A sweeping new study reveals that this is precisely what some of the world’s most powerful meat and dairy corporations have been doing, and the implications could not be more urgent.
According to research published in PLOS Climate, researchers analyzed the sustainability reports and websites of 33 of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies and uncovered more than 1,200 environmental claims made between 2021 and 2024. A stunning 98% of those claims showed indicators of greenwashing, meaning they were misleading, unverifiable, or simply empty words dressed up in eco-friendly language.
Animal agriculture is already responsible for at least 16.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, and the sector’s footprint spans far beyond climate alone. Yet instead of pursuing transformative change, these corporations appear to be doubling down on feel-good messaging. Nearly 40% of all claims were future promises, phrases like “achieve carbon neutrality by 2030,” with almost no roadmap for how they would actually get there. Only three of the 1,233 claims examined were backed by peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Seventeen of the 33 companies have made some form of net-zero commitment, but the research shows these pledges often lean on carbon offsets rather than genuine emissions reductions, a strategy eerily...
When a company promises to save the planet by 2050, it sounds reassuring. But what if that promise comes with no real plan, no credible evidence, and no accountability? A sweeping new study reveal...