Alternative milk company Oatly has joined the Exponential Roadmap Initiative after a comprehensive evaluation of its climate performance, recognising Oatly as a leader, particularly in its strong integration of climate action into its business model and strategy.
The Exponential Roadmap Initiative’s 1.5° Business Playbook, against which the climate performance of new joiners and existing members is assessed, requires that leading companies should integrate four pillars of climate action into their business strategies; reducing own and value chain emissions in line with science, scaling up climate solutions and contributing to accelerate global action in society
Oatly is the first company to join Exponential Roadmap Initiative whose products qualify as climate solutions under the Climate Solutions Framework developed by Exponential Roadmap Initiative and Oxford Net Zero. The assessment showed that Oatly products have a 50% lower footprint than market-weighted average, thus fulfilling one of the two criteria either of which a product or service must fulfil to be a climate solution, while also meeting a need in society and fulfilling other safeguard requirements.
Caroline Reid, Sustainability Director, Oatly:
One third of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the food sector, and half of those are connected to the animal-based sector. The food sector needs to be transformed to meet the nutritional needs of all humans and reach a net zero and nature positive world. Science shows we can significantly reduce climate emissions if we shift to more plant-based production and eating. For us at Oatly, through growth and conversion from cow’s dairy to Oatly, we aim to have an overall positive impact in the milk category and food system.
Current climate frameworks do not consider the need for rapid growth of climate solutions, such as oatmilk. That’s why we’re especially pleased to be a member of the only climate initiative that reviews companies and products from a more holistic impact on emissions and systems transformation and to be joining this community of innovators, transformers and disruptors.
Johan Falk, CEO and Co-founder, Exponential Roadmap Initiative:
In order to shift out the high-emissions economy, we need to scale up climate solutions exponentially. Companies must produce and scale products that serve a need in society at the same time as having a much lower footprint than high-emissions products and services, and Oatly is a great example of that. We are very excited for Oatly to be joining our initiative of leading companies and look forward to working with them to accelerate and scale climate solutions.
Oatly products have a significantly lower carbon footprint than the dairy products they seek to replace. Photo: Leon Seibert / Unsplash.
Kaya Axelsson, Oxford Net Zero:
Current climate standards and frameworks are not sufficiently incentivising companies to innovate and develop climate solutions that get us to net zero. Applying the framework we at Oxford Net Zero developed together with Exponential Roadmap Initiative that aims to accelerate the climate transformation while also avoiding greenwashing is an important step towards developing and consolidating best practice and it’s great to see Oatly join Exponential Roadmap Initiative.
Oatly is also well on the way to qualifying as a climate solutions company under the Climate Solutions Framework.
More resources:
- Dive deeper into the Climate Solutions Framework
- Check out our climate solutions playlist on Youtube
- Watch our webinar: Could your company be a climate solutions company (March 2024).
