98% of Meat and Dairy Industry Green Claims Are False, Study Finds

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 similar to what oil and gas giants have used for decades to delay real action. Meanwhile, some of these same companies are actively expanding their operations, building new facilities and growing their production capacity even as they publish glossy sustainability reports.

This pattern matters deeply for anyone who cares about the food system and the future of life on Earth. When corporations mislead consumers and investors about their environmental impact, it does not just protect their bottom line. It delays the kind of systemic change that plant-based and sustainable food advocates have been calling for. Your purchasing power, your voice, and your Support for genuine environmental accountability are tools that actually move the needle. The animals, the ecosystems, and the communities bearing the burden of industrial agriculture cannot afford to wait for promises that may never be kept.

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