Supermarkets Have A Methane ‘Blind Spot’, Finds New Report

A new report by the Changing Markets Foundation and Mighty Earth has found that major supermarkets in the US and Europe have a "blind spot" when it comes to methane emissions in their supply chain. Despite meat and dairy accounting for a significant portion of their total emissions, none of the top 20 retailers assessed report methane emissions or have reduction targets. While some supermarkets have committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, these promises are deemed "empty words" as meat and dairy continue to be overlooked in their climate action plans.

Although supermarkets are making progress in offering plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy, US retailers are significantly behind their European counterparts. While many European retailers offer a wide range of own-brand plant-based options and set sales targets for these products, most US retailers lack these offerings. The report recommends that supermarkets step up their climate action by setting methane reduction targets of at least 30 percent by 2030 and working towards having 60 percent of the protein they sell being plant-based by 2030.