Nestle quietly exits global initiative to reduce dairy methane emissions

"Less than two years ago, a group of the world's biggest food companies, including Nestle SA, Danone SA and Kraft Heinz Co., announced a major alliance to cut methane emissions from their hundreds of thousands of dairy suppliers. Last month, however, Nestle's logo vanished from the initiative's website. Officials at the Swiss food giant confirmed that they've withdrawn from the effort, known as the Dairy Methane Action Alliance."

"The company declined to elaborate on its decision to pull out. "Nestle regularly reviews its memberships of external organizations," said a company spokesperson in a written statement. "As part of this process, we have decided to discontinue our membership of the Dairy Methane Action Alliance." Nevertheless, Nestle officials praised the alliance's efforts and said the company remains committed to slashing its dairy emissions as part of its overall effort to halve its climate pollution by 2030."

"The big-name departure alarmed one environmental watchdog that has long pushed food companies to aggressively tackle methane emissions coming from their dairy and beef supplies. "Nestle's silent exit from [the alliance] is a troubling move at the time when scientists are telling us that cutting methane is our best shot to curb global heating," said Nusa Urbancic, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Changing Markets Foundation."

Nestle withdrew from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance and removed its logo from the initiative's website. The company declined to elaborate and said it regularly reviews external memberships and discontinued its membership. Nestle praised the alliance's efforts and reaffirmed commitment to slash dairy emissions as part of halving its climate pollution by 2030. Several participants — Danone, Starbucks, General Mills, Bel Group and Lactalis USA — said they are sticking with the effort. A watchdog called the exit troubling given methane's potency. Methane traps about 80 times more heat than CO2 but persists roughly 12 years, so modest reductions can quickly lower warming.

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