A study exposes the ‘greenwashing’ practices of major meat and dairy companies
A study claims that 98% of the environmental claims made by meat and dairy companies constitute greenwashing—statements and promises of environmental action that are not backed by scientific evidence. The analysis is based on 1,233 claims published between 2021 and 2024 in sustainability reports and on websites (for example, “producing carbon-neutral dairy products by 2050 at the latest”) by 33 major companies, including Danone and Nestlé. “The meat and dairy industry may be misleading consumers and investors about whether and to what extent they are addressing environmental impacts, including climate change,” the authors write, whose study is published in PLoS Climate..
Marina San Martín - greenwashing
Marina San Martín Calvo
Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Burgos
This highly interesting research study is grounded in a solid methodological foundation, systematically analyzing the sustainability reports and public communications of 33 of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies using a transparent coding process and well-defined criteria. Although it acknowledges certain limitations, such as the subjectivity inherent in the qualitative analysis of greenwashing, it offers a significant contribution by rigorously quantifying the magnitude of this phenomenon in the agri-food sector. It is particularly striking that it identifies 1,233 environmental claims, 68% of which are climate-related, and 98% of which can be classified as greenwashing, while only three claims are backed by academic scientific evidence. These data highlight a significant gap between corporate discourse and actual evidence.
In practical terms, the study is highly relevant to contexts such as Spain, where the agri-food sector—and the meat sector in particular—carries significant economic and cultural weight. Its findings suggest the need to strengthen mechanisms for regulating and verifying environmental claims, both at the institutional level and in the consumer sphere. It would be advisable to move toward stricter reporting standards, aligned, for example, with European sustainability regulations; to demand greater transparency and scientific evidence in climate-related claims; and to promote greater consumer education to identify potential greenwashing practices. All of this would contribute to a more credible and effective transition toward truly sustainable food systems.
Bach M et al.
- Research article
- Peer reviewed
