Source: Dairy Management Inc.

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Signaling bold climate change action, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy today unveiled the Net Zero Initiative, an industry-wide effort that will help U.S. dairy farms of all sizes and geographies implement new technologies and adopt economically viable practices. The initiative is a critical component of U.S. dairy’s environmental stewardship goals, endorsed by dairy industry leaders and farmers, to achieve carbon neutrality, optimized water usage and improved water quality by 2050. “The U.S. dairy community has been working together to provide the world with responsibly-produced, nutritious dairy foods,” said Mike Haddad, chairman, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “With the entire dairy community at the table – from farmers and cooperatives to processors, household brands and retailers – we’re leveraging U.S. dairy’s innovation, diversity and scale to drive continued environmental progress and create a more sustainable planet for future generations.”  The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy also announced a key milestone on its journey toward carbon neutrality – an up to $10 million commitment and multi-year partnership with Nestlé to support the Net Zero Initiative and scale access to environmental practices and resources on farms across the country. “Supporting and enabling farmers through the Net Zero Initiative has the potential to transform the dairy industry,” said Jim Wells, chief supply chain officer for Nestlé USA. “Scaling up climate-smart agricultural initiatives is key to Nestlé’s ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and will help reduce the carbon footprint of many of our brands. We are excited to collaborate with U.S. dairy and our suppliers to contribute to an even more sustainable dairy supply chain.”

2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy – a forum that convenes dairy farmers and industry stakeholders across the value chain to align on shared social responsibility priorities – built on a decades-long commitment to responsible dairy production in developing the 2050 Environmental Stewardship Goals. Leveraging a rigorous, third-party reviewed materiality assessment, the industry prioritized the most pressing areas of environmental sustainability as the foundation for its goals:

Become carbon neutral or better;

Optimize water use while maximizing recycling;

Improve water quality by optimizing utilization of manure and nutrients.

In 2008, U.S. dairy was the first agricultural sector to commission a life cycle assessment on fluid milk, which showed that dairy accounts for 2% of total GHG emissions in the U.S. In fact, due to innovative practices in cow health, improved feed and genetics, and modern management practices, the environmental impact of producing a gallon of milk in 2017 has shrunk significantly from 2007, requiring 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint1.

Bringing Net Zero to Life

The Net Zero Initiative is a collaboration of dairy organizations and represents a critical pathway on U.S. dairy’s sustainability journey. Many of the practices and technologies needed to reach the industry’s