National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 15, 2012, pp. This is called crop rotation, an important principle of regenerative agriculture that keeps soil healthy and pests at bay. While all plant milks' ecological footprints pale in comparison to those of dairy, oat milk is among the most low-impact choices across the board. That carbon footprint comes from the use of inorganic nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, animal . U.S. Plant-Based Food Retail Sales Hit $7.4 Billion, Outpacing Total Retail Sales, Despite Supply Chain Interruptions and Pandemic Restrictions Creating Widespread Volatility in the Food Industry, Oat Milk Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Source (Organic, Conventional), by Product (Plain, Flavored), by Packaging (Cartons, Bottle), by Distribution Channel, by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028. For example, according to climate footprint data, the company claims its Oatly Barista Edition sold in the UK generates about 70% less CO2e than British cow's milk. "[I]n fact, one gallon of the white stuff is the equivalent of 17.6 pounds of carbon dioxide. Smith, Liam. Carbon footprint was calculated for 1 UHT drink per regular plant-based type and for 1 UHT semi-skimmed bovine milk. University of Delaware, 2019. Is Climate Change Consuming Your Favorite Foods? Although almonds are considered vegan because they contain no animal byproducts, they do rely heavily on bee labor and are therefore avoided by some people. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Wyatt, Sydney. Almond Milk vs. Cow's Milk: Which Is More Environmentally Friendly? "Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade." Oatly's oat drink, for example, has a footprint of 0.558 COe per litre of product. The one true fallback of oat is its price point at around $5 per half gallon. Gustin describes the effects of dairy consumption in her article, noting that for every gallon of milk consumed, 17.6 pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. And it looks like the Earth may benefit from that, too. Grain Fed: Which Is Better for Cows? Searches for milk alternatives spike in January in the UK - especially soy milk and almond milk. Red meat from livestock raised on grass was different from intensive animal farming, said chief executive Phil Stocker. This culture of monocropping provides no opportunity for ecological balance or biodiversity. Water: a litre of oat. Almond Board of California, 2016. Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade, Cows and Climate Change: Making Cattle More Sustainable, Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions, Review: Overview of Factors Affecting Productive Lifespan of Dairy Cows, In The Cattle Markets: Beef Contribution in 2018 from Dairy Cattle, Udderly Complex: Sustainability of Cow and Plant-Based Milks. "Some people seem hell bent on portraying sheep as a global enemy - but in fact they are the ultimate in renewable technology and are an efficient form of productive land management that is planet-friendly," he added. It's often said that oat milk, relatively new to the dairy-free scene, is better for the environment than regular old cow's milkbut why? Pesticides and insecticides that have been freshly sprayed on the treesthreaten the healthof these crucial pollinators whose populations are alreadyin steep decline. Ecosystems, vol. Checking on a brand's website to see if the company address the question of sustainability is a good start, since even if oat milk overall has less impact than dairy milk, specific practices can vary from brand to brand. To be clear, the global oat trade is still thriving, but it hardly compares to that of soy (primarily grown in South America) and almonds (almost entirely hailing from California), which are its two plant-based milk competitors. California Department of Pesticide Regulation, 2019. Oat milk was so novel in the mid-2010s that it wasn't even named in a comprehensiveMintel reporton plant-based milk sales from 2012 to 2017. Quinton, Amy. Credit: Kaffee Meister/Unsplash, CC BY Rice Rice milk has a big water footprint. The original alt milk, soy has been the staple for nondairy users. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021. According to an investigation by nonprofit environmentalism magazine Grist, the traditional dairy industry has a significant impact on the Earth. Heating the average UK home produces 2.34 tonnes of CO2eq annually, according to data from the Committee on Climate Change, and a passenger's carbon footprint for a return flight from London to Malaga is 320kg CO2eq, based on figures from the Carbon Neutral calculator. A 2011 study in science journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions found it takes a total of 242 litres of water to produce a cup of cow's milk, 132 litres for a cup of soy milk . Stolen $3bn Bitcoin mystery ends with popcorn tin. Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are used in large quantities just the same. Emily Cassidy writing for PlanetVision also noted the strain almond milk can have on our water, and mentioned that packaging can still leave a footprint on the environment even if the milk inside is having less of an impact than dairy milk so if you decide to stock up on oat milk knowing that it's got less of a footprint than almond milk, double-check to be sure the packaging is sustainably made and recyclable. A single glass requires 74 litres (130 pints of water) - more than a typical shower. Producing a glass of dairy milk every day for a year requires 650 sq m (7,000 sq ft) of land, the equivalent of two tennis courts and more than 10 times as much as the same amount of oat milk, according to this study. Although Oatly promotes itself as a folksy, right-on, climate-change-busting start-up, it is a $2 billion business, the world's largest oat milk company. Defenders of Wildlife. Columbia University Climate School, 2021. In terms of greenhouse gases, a 200 milliliter glass of cows milk creates around 0.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide. Almond Board of California, 2016. However, it's worth noting that both almond and rice milk still require less water to produce than the typical glass of dairy milk. It is weak nutritional stuff. A seven-ounce glass comes. Fulton, Julian, et al. But unlike . Here's the biggest qualm environmentalists have with cow's milk: its emissions. There are nearly a billion cows on the planet, each a living, breathing methane machine whose burps and farts amount to 220 pounds of greenhouse gases per year. Shop local whenever possible or, better yet, go the package-free route andmake your own plant-based milkat home. The proliferation of alternative milks leads to a question of which is the best for the planet. We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. How do you know what my diet is equal to in miles driven? Chapter 2: Crop Water Needs." "Declining Bee Populations Pose Threat to Global Food Security and Nutrition." Nabi, Zahid, et al. Carbon labels tell consumers the environmental impact of oat milk, dish soap and more. January 19, 2022 Milk is a dietary staple across many countries in the world. 401-415., doi:10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8. Calculations based on food quality, rather than quantity, make for very different answers. So what makes Glebe Farm's PureOaty the UK's 'glass-leader' in this context? Grass Fed vs. Food Navigator, 2020. But the growing popularity of veganism extends beyond January. The proliferation of alternative milksa billion-dollar industry in the U.S. alonealso leads to a question of which is the best for the planet. It seems to be the greenest milk type of allexcept for one pitfall. For example, it takes six times as much water to grow almonds than it does oats. "The Economics of Cattle Ranching in the Amazon: Land Grabbing or Pushing the Agricultural Frontier?" Oat milk, however, is lower in protein content and calcium and higher in calories. The industry is worth $1.5 billion and grew by about 13% in 2021. "Grain: World Markets and Trade." But more importantly, not just oat, but alternative milks, in general, are better for the environment. Rice and oat are two of the most popular plant-based milks. SPINS, 2022. Firstly, I am very lactose intolerant and real milk can do some serious damage. Another great benefit of oats is that they can grow in a range of environments and soil types. Yale School of the Environment, 2015. Milk, however, only accounts for only 2.8% of the UK's carbon footprint, according to Dairy UK. "Fight Climate Change by Preventing Food Waste." When the seal is broken and the container has been opened for the first time then oat milk is considered a perishable food that can quickly turn . Hoekstra. First published in January 2021, the ads compared the carbon footprint of Oatly's milk with dairy milk. And oat milk does appear to have less of a carbon footprint than some other plant-based milks. They assessed the effect of these foods on climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of land and fresh water used across all stages of their production, including processing, packaging, and transportation, but excluding the cooking process. However, sustainability-wise it's often criticized for its colossal water footprint and the fact that almonds grow only in one very small part of the world, California. For this story, these were converted to impact per serving sizes based on serving sizes from the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and healthy diet portion sizes from BUPA. Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Answer Might Surprise You. For both oat and almond milk, that ratio is about one cup of oats or almonds to four cups of water. Not all oats need these synthetic treatments to growas is proven by the Certified Organic labelbut chemicals are still ubiquitous in grain growing, and they pose serious risks to affected ecosystems. The crop, Avena sativa, is known to sit at the high end of water use efficiencynot just because it requires so little (17 to 26 inches per growing season) but also because it grows in cool weather. according to a University of Oxford study. Oat milk also has a relatively low greenhouse footprint, with carbon dioxide emissions at 0.18 kilograms for a 200 milliliter glass. These authors conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) also referred to as cradde-to-grave analysis and estimated a milk carbon foot print of 2.05 (90% confidence interval: 1.8-2.4) kg CO2eq per kg milk consumed. 4. Stanford University. 3. 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