Big Emissions, Empty Promises

The report examines 22 of the world's largest meat and dairy companies, finding that their combined emissions are comparable to those of major oil companies and entire nations. It argues that corporate net-zero targets are largely non-aligned with the 1.5°C warming limit and that the industry relies on 'techno-fixes'—such as feed additives and biogas—and 'regenerative agriculture' to distract from the need to reduce livestock production. The analysis further highlights a lack of mandatory agricultural methane targets in the 11 countries where these companies are headquartered, attributing this to 'agricultural exceptionalism' and industry political influence.

• Corporate net-zero targets in the sector generally fail to meet UN standards for 1.5°C alignment. Of 15 companies with net-zero targets, only two (Danone and Nestlé) have targets aligned to both net zero and 1.5°C, while nine have no SBTi target aligned with 1.5°C.
• Companies are heavily promoting 'techno-fixes' like methane-reducing vaccines and feed additives, but investment in these is minimal compared to marketing. For example, JBS spends $20 million annually on such solutions, which is only 0.03% of its 2022 annual revenue and 6.2% of its marketing spend.
• The promotion of biogas as a climate solution is described as an 'illusion' because it focuses on manure management, which only accounts for 18% of cattle methane emissions, while ignoring enteric fermentation (cow burps), which accounts for 82%.
• Regenerative agriculture is used by companies as a greenwashing tool to justify business as usual. The report notes that a shift to grass-fed beef in the U.S. could actually increase methane emissions by 43%.
• There is a systemic lack of mandatory regulation for agricultural methane in the countries where these companies are headquartered. Except for China, all 11 headquarter countries are Global Methane Pledge signatories, yet none have specific agricultural methane reduction targets or robust plans.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2024). Big Emissions, Empty Promises. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Big-Emissions-Empty-Promises-1.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Big Emissions, Empty Promises. 2024. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Big-Emissions-Empty-Promises-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Big Emissions, Empty Promises |date=November 2024 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Big-Emissions-Empty-Promises-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2024big, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Big Emissions, Empty Promises}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Big-Emissions-Empty-Promises-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }