For Many Big Food Companies, Emissions Head in the Wrong Direction

Five years ago McDonald’s said it planned to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than a third in parts of its operations by 2030. A few years later, it pledged to be “net zero” — cutting emissions to as close to zero as possible — by 2050.

But in its most recent report, McDonald’s disclosed that things were moving in the wrong direction: The company’s emissions in 2021 were 12 percent higher than its 2015 baseline.

McDonald’s is hardly alone. An examination of various climate-related reports and filings for 20 of the world’s largest food and restaurant companies reveals that more than half have not made any progress on their emissions reduction goals or have reported rising emissions levels.

The bulk of emissions — in many cases more than 90 percent — come from the companies’ supply chains. In other words, the cows and wheat used to make burgers and cereal.

And while companies have worked to eliminate some plastic in packaging and reduce water use to make their products more sustainable, many large food and beverage companies and restaurant chains are struggling to balance their robust growth in recent years with their climate goals.

As consumer patterns have changed since the start of the pandemic, food companies have experienced significant demand. The war in Ukraine and extreme weather, such as droughts and floods, also disrupted supply chains, causing companies to get ingredients and goods from different suppliers.