Pathways to Dairy Net Zero Gaining Momentum with New Workstreams

Pathways to Dairy Net Zero (P2DNZ) continues to accelerate climate action throughout the dairy sector.

Here’s an overview of each P2DNZ workstream so far:

Led by the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), P2DNZ has a robust research program that is working to identify practical pathways for dairy systems worldwide. This research — including pinpointing potential dairy emissions mitigation measures and modeling the impact of cumulative emissions for each greenhouse gas on global warming — is crucial to reducing the sector’s impact on the planet.

Achieving dairy net zero will take a collective global effort that recognizes the diversity of dairy production systems. In many developed markets, the dairy sector is already making great strides in sustainability. There are four primary focus areas for P2DNZ in these countries:

Methods/Frameworks/Proof Points
- Relates to:Carbon credits, measuring emissions, carbon sequestrations, mitigation protocols, etc.
Accelerated Implementation and R&D
- Relates to: Carbon capture and storage, reducing enteric emissions and manure emissions, becoming fossil fuel-free and implementing new technologies
Policymaking and Partnerships
- Relates to: Making sure nutrition is included in sustainability discussions and ensuring dairy receives recognition for the improvements that are underway
Pilots/Lighthouse Projects
- Relates to: Developing demonstration farms to encourage expanded adoption of sustainability solutions

The next three workstreams stem from future-forward collaborative actions that P2DNZ organizations in developed dairy economies have agreed on.

Sustainability progress can be difficult to quantify. That’s why this new workstream is so important. P2DNZ is working with Science Based Targets and Greenhouse Gas Protocol to ensure the tools, methods and protocols used to quantify progress accurately reflect the dairy sector’s achievements in its emissions reduction efforts.

Dairy processing isn’t the largest contributor to dairy’s GHG emissions, but more progress is needed in this area. Led and sponsored by Tetra Pak, our dairy processing workstream — introduced during a webinar on June 15, 2023, entitled “Latest Advances in Dairy Processing Technologies to Tackle GHG Emissions” — was established to reduce emissions in the dairy processing sector.

With this aim in mind, we’re assembling a dairy processing task force to address the sector’s challenges and recommend potential approaches on a pre-competitive basis. If you’re interested in joining this task force, contact Info@GlobalDairyPlatform.com.

Methane is a potent, albeit short-lived, GHG that is increasing scrutiny on the dairy sector.

P2DNZ is working with global experts to develop a shared science-based approach to tackling methane emissions so that governments, international organizations and other dairy sector stakeholders have credible and accurate information to assist in their decision-making.

The first step is to accurately share the work already underway across the dairy world through a more informed dairy methane position statement.

Roughly 80% of the global dairy sector’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated in emerging dairy countries, so it’s imperative that sustainability solutions are adopted and implemented in these markets.

In conjunction with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and FAO, P2DNZ is involved in an initiative to develop a program in East Africa seeking funding from the Green Climate Fund to address emissions from the dairy sector in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, called Pathways to Dairy Net Zero: Dairy Interventions for Mitigation and Adaptation (DaIMA). In parallel, work has commenced in Latin America in conjunction with FAO and CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, covering Colombia, Costa Rica and Uruguay. P2DNZ is also exploring options with stakeholders in Pakistan for meetings in early 2024.

Another workstream stemming from collaborative actions, largely within developed dairy economies, but also applicable in emerging markets, is a new animal nutrition work program. Establishing in collaboration with Trouw Nutrition, this workstream, focused on feed, forage and supplements, will launch in early 2024 and will be open to all to join.

Help Drive Progress Across P2DNZ’s Workstreams

P2DNZ is working to create a more sustainable future for us all, and you can help. If you haven’t already, join the movement by signing the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero Declaration.

Help Drive Progress Across P2DNZ’s Workstreams

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