We’re fortunate to live in a time with an abundance of dairy-free milks to choose from — just a few years ago the options were either limited or non-existent. However, this means we might struggle to find the most sustainable options, and ones with the consistency, taste, and texture we’re looking for when making a morning latte or afternoon cup of chai.
There are many reasons to make the switch to dairy-free milk; a major one being dairy’s excessive environmental impact in comparison to non-dairy alternatives.
Impact of dairy farming
Critical research has shown the energy input required to produce dairy milk and the significant carbon footprint acquired during its consumption. Raising dairy cows is not just about the cow itself, but about the grains required to feed and raise cattle and the resources needed to produce enough grain. Growing grain takes a large amount of fertiliser and pesticides, making it one of the most greenhouse gas-intensive foods you can purchase.
What’s more, huge amounts of land, water, and constant electricity are needed to hydrate and sustain cows for dairy milk production. Not to mention, rearing cattle itself is highly greenhouse gas intensive, due to the excess of methane and nitrous oxide present in cow burps and manure. This excess leads to both air and water pollution, further exacerbating climate change and causing harm to both the people and wildlife in areas surrounding factory farms. If that’s not enough, raw dairy milk takes lots of energy to process, package, and deliver to grocery stores all across the world.
One of the largest studies ever conducted on the topic suggests that consuming less meat and dairy is the most effective way to reduce your environmental impact. It revealed that livestock now takes up as much land as humans, leading to much more environmental harm than the least sustainable vegetables or cereals grown globally. The author, Joseph Poore of Oxford University, found that “a vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use, and water use.”
What’s the alternative?
When it comes to dairy alternatives, there’s plenty of opinion as to which is most sustainable. Each plant-based drink has its strengths and weaknesses: almond milk is popular but its production uses lots of water, while rice milk production emits greenhouse gases, and soy milk production needs large expanses of land.
Even so, the fact remains that the total carbon impact of all plant-based milk, combined, is much less than the impact of dairy milk, so whichever choice you make will be more sustainable. Here are some tasty and nutritious options to consider:
Oat milk
Oat milk has become increasingly popular in recent years, with big chain and independent coffee shops offering it as an option for their popular latte creations! What makes oat milk so great? Well, in addition to its super smooth and creamy texture, and ability to foam well — making it ideal for chai or cappuccinos — it takes six times less water to grow oats than almonds, so has a low carbon footprint. Oats also use ten times less land and produce three times less greenhouse gas emissions than cow’s milk. Some brands even use local-grown and gluten-free oats, reducing even more carbon and making it more accessible to those with dietary allergies. Have you tried it yet?
Pea milk
With the same amount of protein per glass as cow’s milk, pea milk is a fantastic non-dairy option. Depending on your preference, there are sweetened, unsweetened, and flavoured options to choose from. Also containing less sugar — but more calcium — than cow’s milk, pea milk is nut-free so is ideal for nut allergy sufferers. This could be the next big trend in plant-based milks!
It’s made with protein from dried yellow peas, which are often grown with little to no irrigation or chemical fertilisers. What’s more, growing peas requires six times less water than their more popular counterpart — almonds — further reducing its overall environmental impact and carbon footprint. Some brands even put nitrogen back into the soil, making it a highly regenerative crop. It makes the soil happy and the Earth happy, and in turn we get delicious pea-based milk that is good for our health.
Hemp milk
In addition to its excellent creaminess, there are incredible health benefits associated with hemp. This milk contains a large amount of high-quality protein and important fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3) which support the cardiovascular system, helping maintain a healthy level of cholesterol, and fortifying skin. Many vegans and non-vegans alike consume large amounts of hemp seeds due to their health benefits, so why not make the switch to hemp milk too?
The production of hemp is extremely eco-friendly as well. It uses much less water and produces higher yields per hectare. It is also highly resilient to pests and diseases, meaning it requires fewer pesticides (which are very harmful to the environment and contribute to pollution of water bodies). If that’s not enough, hemp actually absorbs carbon from the atmosphere, and results in less waste overall, as almost every part of the plant is useful, unlike other plants whose outer shells are not usable.
So, the next time you're hosting a chai party, consider exploring the diverse world of plant-based milk to both tantalise the taste buds and develop a more eco-conscious lifestyle. Which one will you try first?
