Milk alternatives: which to choose?

Dairy farming has been around for thousands of years, and cow’s milk is consumed all over the world. But this traditional type of milk is incredibly damaging to the environment. Shockingly, cattle are “responsible for the 62% of the carbon emissions produced by the food industry” and in total are responsible for 14.5% of all global greenhouse gasses (1) 

Dairy farming releases a large amount of methane, and their manure pollutes local waterways and water sources, causing overgrowth of algae and die-off of native plant species (and even native animal life). It also requires a large amount of grazing land, and therefore results in deforestation, overgrazing, and even desertification when the soil has been depleted beyond repair. Even the impaction caused by the cows’ hooves can destroy the topsoil layer over time, causing huge damage to the local ecosystem and any organic matter found there. Such damage can take decades to repair! (2)

All plant-based milks are far better than dairy: One 2018 study at the University of Oxford showed that one glass of dairy milk is the product of three times more GHG emissions than any plant-based alternative - and requires nine times more land.  (3) 

But of course not all plant-based milks are alike; there are pros and cons to each, and it can be very overwhelming trying to figure out which milk alternative is the most ethical, and most sustainable, when so many are on the market right now.  In this blog post, I will look at the two most popular plant-based milks right now, almond and oat milk, to help you decide which alternative is best for you.

Almond milk

Almond milk has been widely adopted as an ethical alternative to dairy milk: it has a smooth, frothy consistency that mirrors the original and that makes it easy to foam for coffee. It also has a subtle natural sweetness to it which makes it delicious in drinks or on its own, and a straightforward replacement for dairy milk in cooking.

Environmentally, it is a huge improvement on cow’s milk: its production involves very low emissions (0.7kg CO2 per liter of milk, vs. 3kg CO2 per liter of dairy milk), and land use (0.5m2 per liter, vs dairy’s 9m2).  (4)

However, it does use an enormous amount of water. This is especially an issue because over 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in California, which has consistently  experienced severe drought and water shortages for the last ten years. Additionally, did you know that it takes 6,098 liters of water to produce just 1 liter of almond milk, according to some estimates (5)?

In fact, almond trees are so water intensive that it takes more than a gallon of water to grow each individual almond (6). This is clearly an unsustainable amount in drought-hit California, where people’s water usage is frequently capped in their own homes due to shortages.

Oat milk

Next is oat milk. Although I personally like the flavor of almond milk more, some may argue that oat milk is more tasty due to its natural sweetness and creamy texture.  Oat milk also tends to be thicker than almond milk, making it a more similar alternative to cow's milk.  

Oat milk has been deemed by many as the most sustainable plant-based milk alternative due to its ability to grow worldwide. Since oats can tolerate various pH levels of soil, they can grow in many countries such as Russia, Canada, Australia, the U.K., Brazil, the U.S., Argentina and China. This wide distribution takes transportation to the minimum, therefore, limiting the greenhouse gas emissions created. 

Adding on, the land used for growing oatmeal can be used for other crops when oats are not in season (this process is called crop rotation; eliminating the need to clear more land for agriculture). Crop rotation not only increases nutrients in the soil, but it also helps to combat erosion. With the constant alternating between deep and  shallow roots, the soil is being stabilized and pests and diseases are deterred.  

Moving on, oatmeal requires between 17 and 26 inches of water per growing season—similar to the amount used for soybean, rice, and potato crops. Compared with other plant-based milks, oat milk uses significantly less water to produce (1 liter of oat milk takes an estimated 48 liters of water to produce). (7)

With all this said, something to keep in mind is that although certified organic oat milk may not use synthetic treatments (such as fertilizers, Herbicides, fungicides, insecticides) to grow, the chemicals present in grain growing are still negatively affecting ecosystems around the world.

Other plant-based milk alternatives

If you don’t enjoy either oat or almond milk, don’t worry! There are many other plant-based milk alternatives available, with many becoming more mainstream in recent years. And all of them are significantly better for the planet than cow’s milk. You might want to try one of these:

As the plant-based milk industry grows, hazelnut milk has become a rising star! Hazelnuts don’t consume much water, and are also grown in rainier areas where conserving water is generally not an issue anyway. Hazelnut milk is becoming more mainstream and will hopefully be a very sustainable alternative to look out for in your local supermarket sometime soon.

On the other hand, rice milk, while better than dairy milk, still uses a very high amount of water due to traditional rice farming methods involving paddies. Rice paddies also contribute to significant emissions, especially of methane. So rice milk may not be the most sustainable milk alternative for now - but have a look at my blog post here to read how innovative rice farming methods may change that in the future!

Moreover, soy milk was one of the first milk alternatives to hit the mainstream and has been around for decades. Although it may not be as popular nowadays, it uses relatively little water and has low emissions, but soy plantations in the Amazon are a major contributor to deforestation.

Lastly, coconut milk is also fairly sustainable, especially as coconuts are harvested by hand - by like soy, the issue lies in where coconuts are farmed. Crucial coastal ecosystems like mangroves have been destroyed and replaced with monocultures of coconut farming, impacting wildlife. (8)

Conclusion

With all things considered, switching out your typical dairy milk to any plant-based milk alternative would reduce your carbon footprint immensely. Although there is certainly no clear winner on all metrics, when considering which plant-based milk to test, you could focus on the impact (such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use…) you care about the most and make your decision then.  

Sources

(1) https://brightly.eco/the-environmental-impacts-of-different-dairy-and-dairy-free-milk

(2) https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/dairy

(3) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/28/what-plant-milk-should-i-drink-almond-killing-bees-aoe

(4) https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/plant-based/how-environmentally-friendly-is-vegan-milk/597897.article

(5) https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/sep/05/ditch-the-almond-milk-why-everything-you-know-about-sustainable-eating-is-probably-wrong

(6) https://www.knowyourpantry.com/dairy-alternatives/how-much-water-to-produce-1-litre-of-almond-milk/

(7) https://www.treehugger.com/oat-milk-vs-almond-milk-5205031