Is nut milk eco-friendly?

Lifestyle makes us interested in environmental friendliness in many areas, not only items but also the food we consume daily. If you are a person who often drinks nut milk instead of animal milk, here are some types of nut milk that are friendly to the environment or have an impact on soil and water resources… that have been verified by experts.

After all, while the dairy industry has been criticized for being resource-intensive, that doesn’t mean plant-based milks don’t have an impact on the environment. According to Master of Public Health, Lauren Panoff, to make some types of nut milk, the factories that produce and grow these nuts still need resources such as soil and water, electricity and use of chemicals . Their production also emits greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which contribute to global warming.

In this article, Lauren will look at the environmental impacts of different plant-based milks and provide some suggestions for choosing the most eco-friendly nut milks.

Soymilk

Along with beef, soybeans are one of the biggest causes of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest due to the amount of land required to grow them. Research shows that one serving of soy milk (1 liter) requires about 1 square mile (2.6 square km) of land per year.

However, most soybeans are grown for animal feed and biofuel production, not for human milk. The United States alone is responsible for 35% of global soybean production. The good news is that Amazon Soy Moratorium, an agreement between grain traders, is determined not to buy soybeans grown on recently cleared land. This has reduced deforestation significantly.

Some soy milk companies like Silk, claim to only use organic soybeans grown in the United States, helping to reduce Amazon deforestation.

Almond milk

This is one of the nut milks that uses the most water. A study funded by the Almond Board of California estimated that it takes 12.1 liters of water to make one California almond.

Additionally, about 80% of the world’s almonds are grown in California, which has experienced extreme droughts in recent years. Almond milk requires less land resources than oats but more than rice.

Hemp Milk

Hemp milk is an eco-friendly nut milk, as hemp has a high yield and all its parts are usable. Its leaves and seeds are used to make oil and milk, while the stems and roots are ingredients in building materials, textiles, paper, and hemp resins.

Furthermore, hemp is less susceptible to pests and diseases and has the ability to create shade, which helps reduce weeds. The trait indirectly results in farmers needing less herbicides and pesticides to care for them. Their roots are also capable of loosening the soil.

Rice milk

Rice cultivation emits a significant amount of greenhouse gases. This is because rice fields contain a certain type of bacteria, which release significant amounts of methane when waterlogged. Furthermore, rice is known to contain high levels of arsenic, which can contaminate nearby water lines.

Rice also requires a lot of water to produce. However, rice uses less land resources than soybeans, oats and almonds.

Oat milk

Oats are often grown as a large-scale monoculture (planted multiple times on the same land). Monoculture reduces the biodiversity of the surrounding ecosystem, which can lead to an increase in pests and ultimately the application of pesticides. Monoculture can also deplete soil nutrients, reducing crop fertility.

Additionally, oats are often grown with glyphosate-based pesticides, which can promote the growth and spread of glyphosate-resistant pathogens that negatively affect surrounding plants, insects, and animals.

Other studies show that oats require more land resources than soybeans, almonds and rice, but require significantly less water resources than the two types above.

Pea milk

Peas are native to areas that tend to have heavy rainfall, which means they need less existing water sources to grow.

Furthermore, pea plants usually do not require much irrigation and are rotated by farmers. This helps fix nitrogen naturally in the soil, reducing the need for fertilizer. Also, unlike soybeans, peas are not currently genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicides.

The company Ripple claims that its pea milk requires 86% less greenhouse gas emissions than almond milk.

Coconut milk

There is little data on the direct environmental effects of coconut milk. However, some studies show that making coconut milk contributes about half of the greenhouse gas emissions compared to soy milk.

Coconut trees need very little water to produce. However, coconuts are grown in tropical areas and there is some concern that increased demand could mean a greater likelihood of displacement of native species and loss of biodiversity.

More research on the environmental impact of plant-based milk is needed to determine which milk ranks best. While all plant-based milks have their own pros and cons, hemp and pea milks can be less resource intensive than others.

Lauren Panoff concludes, there is still no more specific and diverse research to rank eco-friendly nut milks. But according to the studies she has compiled and analyzed, each type of milk has an effect on a certain resource, only coconut milk, hemp seed milk and pea milk are relatively “friendly”.

Reference: “Which Plant Milk Is Best for the Planet?”, written by Lauren Panoff (MPH, RD) and medically moderated by Sade Meeks (MS, RD)