Net Zero Integrity: Nestlé's Methane Blindspot

The briefing finds that Nestlé's net-zero plan fails to meet any of the nine relevant recommendations from the UN Integrity Matters report, primarily due to a lack of specific methane targets and an over-reliance on regenerative agriculture. While Nestlé targets a 42% reduction in dairy and livestock emissions against a business-as-usual scenario, this represents only a 14% reduction from its 2018 baseline. The analysis estimates that Nestlé's methane emissions from cattle are roughly 8.7 million tonnes of CO2e, and notes that between 2018 and 2022, targeted GHG emissions dropped by only 1%.

• Nestlé's net-zero plan does not comply with the UN's Integrity Matters report, failing to meet any of the nine relevant recommendations; it partially met five and completely failed four.
• The company lacks specific targets and reporting for methane emissions, which are estimated at roughly 8.7 million tonnes of CO2e from cattle in its supply chains—double the emissions of Switzerland's entire livestock sector.
• Nestlé relies heavily on regenerative agriculture for emission cuts, but the report argues these techniques are unreliable for achieving significant and permanent reductions in livestock-associated greenhouse gas emissions.
• There is a discrepancy between Nestlé's reported reductions and its baseline; a claimed 42% reduction against a business-as-usual scenario for dairy and livestock emissions equates to only a 14% reduction from the 2018 baseline.
• Actual progress on GHG emissions targeted by the net-zero plan has been minimal, decreasing by only 1% between the 2018 baseline year and 2022.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2023). Net Zero Integrity: Nestlé's Methane Blindspot. https://changingmarkets.org/report/net-zero-integrity-nestles-methane-blindspot/

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Net Zero Integrity: Nestlé's Methane Blindspot. 2023. https://changingmarkets.org/report/net-zero-integrity-nestles-methane-blindspot/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Net Zero Integrity: Nestlé's Methane Blindspot |date=7 April 2023 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/report/net-zero-integrity-nestles-methane-blindspot/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2023net, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Net Zero Integrity: Nestlé's Methane Blindspot}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/report/net-zero-integrity-nestles-methane-blindspot/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }