The carbon footprint of milk, semi-skimmed, reduced lactose

How it is grown changes the number by 56%

These are 12 separately assessed production systems for the same product. Emissions are farm-gate — the part the grower controls — and range from 0.928 to 2.092 kg CO₂e. A label on a shelf almost never tells you which one you are holding.

1. Milk, organic, system n°4, at farm gatelowest0.928
2. Milk, organic, system n°3, at farm gate1.003
3. Milk, organic, system n°5, at farm gate1.03
4. Milk, organic, system n°1, at farm gate1.095
5. Cow milk, conventional, lowland milk system, silage maize more than 30%, at farm gate1.109
6. Milk, organic, system n°2, at farm gate1.118
7. Cow milk, conventional, lowland milk system, silage maize 10 to 30%, at farm gate1.123
8. Cow milk, national average, at farm gate1.183
9. Cow milk, conventional, lowland milk system, silage maize 5 to 10%, at farm gate1.301
10. Goat milk, conventional, intensive forage area, at farm gate1.307
11. Cow milk, conventional, highland milk system, grass fed, at farm gate1.516
12. Sheep milk, conventional, Roquefort system, at farm gate2.092

kg CO₂e per 1 kg of prepared product, cradle to farm gate. Farm-gate figures exclude processing, packaging and transport, so they sit below the full total above.