Danone Targets 30% Methane Cut by 2030
The food company is the first to set a methane reduction target, aiming to lower absolute emissions from its fresh milk supply chain.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Organic Food
Danone has set a target to reduce absolute methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030. The company expects this to remove 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in methane emissions.
Why it matters
Dairy production from cattle makes up an estimated 8% of total human-caused methane emissions, and agriculture and livestock represent about 40% of global methane emissions. Cutting methane offers immediate climate benefits that carbon dioxide reductions alone cannot provide, according to the IPCC.
Danone reduced methane emissions by approximately 14% between 2018 and 2020 and now targets a 30% absolute reduction by 2030. The company works directly with 58,000 dairy farmers across 20 countries, but the extraction does not detail how the target will be verified.
The players
Danone
A multinational food company known for its dairy and plant-based products, which has set the first methane reduction target among food companies.
Environmental Defense Fund
An U.S.-based environmental nonprofit that Danone is partnering with on this initiative.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The United Nations body that assesses climate science and has highlighted the immediate benefits of reducing methane emissions.
The details
Danone is working with dairy farmers through its regenerative agriculture program and initiatives such as Farming for Generations and Danone Ecosystem. Improved manure management is among the strategies cited, which can reduce methane while improving fertilizer use on cropland.
Timeline
2018 to 2020: Danone reduced methane emissions by about 14%.
2023: Danone plans to launch four new methane reduction initiatives in Africa, Europe and the United States.
2030: Target date for a 30% absolute reduction in methane emissions from the fresh milk supply chain.
Culture Shift
Danone's target follows a broader push by food companies to address the agricultural share of emissions, which the extraction places at about 40% of global methane. The move signals that dairy sourcing is becoming a focus of corporate climate commitments rather than only consumer marketing.
Shoppers buying Danone's fresh milk and dairy products may eventually see the effects of supply chain changes, though the extraction does not say when or how these would reach store shelves. The company's regenerative farming approach affects the farms that supply its milk, rather than changing the product directly.
The takeaway
Methane reductions can deliver faster climate benefits than carbon dioxide cuts alone, which makes supply chain targets like Danone's worth watching as the 2030 deadline approaches. Readers interested in sustainable food can compare how different brands report their emissions progress.
What happens next
Danone plans to launch four new methane reduction initiatives in Africa, Europe and the United States in 2023, with its 30% reduction target falling due in 2030.
Further reading
Explore more on Organic Food to see how sustainable farming practices are shaping what ends up on store shelves.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Feedstuffs.
