Which milk?
Why choose plant milk over dairy milk?
Dairy milk results in approximately three times more carbon impact to the environment than plant milk. Potatoes, peas, oats and hemp are the most sustainable options, but all plant-based milk is better than dairy milk.
All plastic bottles have a larger carbon footprint than cartons. Some milk delivery companies deliver plant milk to the door in glass returnable bottles.
The most common plant milks are:
Soya Pea and chickpea Oat Rice
Almond Coconut Hemp
Milk from Beans
Soya. The most commonly found plant milk. Although soya is associated with deforestation in South America, most soya grown worldwide is used for animal feed, not people. However, it is worth looking for milk which is sourced from other countries. Some supermarkets source their soya from the EU.
Pea and Chickpea. This milk is reputed to taste much like dairy milk. When peas are growing they fix nitrogen in the soil, therefore reducing the use of nitrogen fertiliser and the release of nitrous oxide.
Milk from Cereals
Oat. Probably grown close to home, in the UK. Require less water than almonds, but a fair amount of land, although very unlikely to have been grown on deforested Amazonian land.
Rice. Relatively high greenhouse gas emission. Still better than dairy milk. There are concerns over the emission of methane from paddy fields, but research is currently unclear. Still better for the climate than dairy milk.
Milk from Nuts and seeds
Almond
Growing almonds uses large amounts of water, but dairy milk uses a similar amount. California, which grows 80% of the world’s almonds, uses more water to grow alfalfa to feed livestock than it does to grow almonds.
Coconut
Although coconut is not associated with deforestation, it travels a long way to reach the UK and many of the small farmers involved in its cultivation suffer poverty.
Hemp
Uses little water and is pest and weed resistant. Also fixes nutrients in the soil and acts as a carbon sink. However, in the UK a licence is required to grow it as it is a controlled substance (part of the cannabis family).
Nutrition
Dairy milk is very high in protein – it is made by animals for their young when they are not eating other food.
Grams of protein per 100 ml of milk:
Cow 3.5 g
Soya 3-3.15
Pea, chickpea 2-3 g
Almond, cashew, hazel, brazil, spelt, buckwheat, quinoa, hemp, tiger nut, potato 0.5-1g
Oat 0.2g
Rice, coconut 0.1g
(All information on this page taken from Ethical Consumer, Sep/Oct 2022)
Why choose plant milk over dairy milk?
Dairy milk results in approximately three times more carbon impact to the environment than plant milk. Potatoes, peas, oats and hemp are the most sustainable options, but all plant-based milk is better than dairy milk.
All plastic bottles have a larger carbon footprint than cartons. Some milk delivery companies deliver plant milk to the door in glass returnable bottles.
The most common plant milks are:
Soya Pea and chickpea Oat Rice
Almond Coconut Hemp
Milk from Beans
Soya. The most commonly found plant milk. Although soya is associated with deforestation in South America, most soya grown worldwide is used for animal feed, not people. However, it is worth looking for milk which is sourced from other countries. Some supermarkets source their soya from the EU.
Pea and Chickpea. This milk is reputed to taste much like dairy milk. When peas are growing they fix nitrogen in the soil, therefore reducing the use of nitrogen fertiliser and the release of nitrous oxide.
Milk from Cereals
Oat. Probably grown close to home, in the UK. Require less water than almonds, but a fair amount of land, although very unlikely to have been grown on deforested Amazonian land.
Rice. Relatively high greenhouse gas emission. Still better than dairy milk. There are concerns over the emission of methane from paddy fields, but research is currently unclear. Still better for the climate than dairy milk.
Milk from Nuts and seeds
Almond
Growing almonds uses large amounts of water, but dairy milk uses a similar amount. California, which grows 80% of the world’s almonds, uses more water to grow alfalfa to feed livestock than it does to grow almonds.
Coconut
Although coconut is not associated with deforestation, it travels a long way to reach the UK and many of the small farmers involved in its cultivation suffer poverty.
Hemp
Uses little water and is pest and weed resistant. Also fixes nutrients in the soil and acts as a carbon sink. However, in the UK a licence is required to grow it as it is a controlled substance (part of the cannabis family).
Nutrition
Dairy milk is very high in protein – it is made by animals for their young when they are not eating other food.
Grams of protein per 100 ml of milk:
Cow 3.5 g
Soya 3-3.15
Pea, chickpea 2-3 g
Almond, cashew, hazel, brazil, spelt, buckwheat, quinoa, hemp, tiger nut, potato 0.5-1g
Oat 0.2g
Rice, coconut 0.1g
(All information on this page taken from Ethical Consumer, Sep/Oct 2022)