‘Big 10’ food and drink companies emit more GHSs than Scandinavia

The 'Big 10' food and drink companies together emit more greenhouse gases than Scandinavia and, if they were an individual country, would rank as the 25th most polluting, according to Oxfam. It warned that companies are risking financial ruin if they do not do more to tackle climate change. 

In its new report Standing on the Sidelines, the international agency says that the 'Big 10' emit more than Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland's total of 250m tons of greenhouse gases, according to the latest available figures. The big 10's 264m tons would rank them between Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, placed 24th and 26th respectively.  

Oxfam says the companies are capable of cutting their combined emissions by 80m tons compared to business as usual by 2020 – as much as both Mexico and South Africa have pledged. The companies are not doing enough despite the threat climate change poses to the sustained supply of ingredients they need for their products, their economic might and the need to feed a growing population. Between them, they generate £650m a day in revenues, equivalent to the total gross domestic product of all the world's lower income countries.

The 'Big 10' are Associated British Foods, Coca-Cola, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg, Mars, Mondelez International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever. Oxfam projects that the price of key products like Kellogg's Corn Flakes could spike by up to 44 per cent in the next 15 years because of climate change.

Oxfam's director of UK campaigns and policy, Sally Copley said: "By failing to cut emissions adequately the 'Big 10' are putting short term profits ahead of the long term interests of both themselves and the rest of us.

"Their influence and wealth are the perfect ingredients to stop putting their businesses at risk and making climate change worse. They need to look at the whole picture from how their ingredients are grown to how their goods are produced to cut emissions. They also need to pressure businesses and governments to do what is needed to tackle climate change and help build a future where everyone has enough to eat."

Pepsico UK committed to reduce emissions from its agricultural supply chain by 50 per cent in 5 years. If this commitment were replicated across the Big 10, their emissions would fall by approximately 80m tons compared to business as usual by 2020.