Ethics and environment
Which plant milk has the smallest environmental footprint?
Short answer
Every common plant drink – soy, oat, almond or rice – has a smaller footprint than cow’s milk: fewer emissions, less land and usually less water. But there is no single winner across all categories.
Our World in Data (data from Poore and Nemecek, 2018) compares greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and eutrophication per litre. Almond drink has low emissions and uses little land but needs a lot of water. Rice drink uses more water and has higher emissions than soy or oat. Oat and soy perform well in most categories.
These are global averages – a given product can differ depending on where the crop comes from and how it is transported. For health, fortification with calcium and B12 and protein content matter more; soy drink has the most protein. Poland’s National Centre for Nutrition Education recommends fortified drinks without added sugar.