Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest dairy exporter, has announced the discontinuation of its “carbon zero milk” claim for its Simply Milk range. This decision comes after the company acknowledged that it failed to meet its emissions reduction targets for the product last year.
The Simply Milk range, introduced in 2020, was part of Fonterra’s carbon-neutral certification initiative, which required a 2.2% reduction in emissions per bottle by 2024 across farming, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and disposal processes.
Fonterra has now rebranded the product to emphasise a 10-cent donation per bottle to social supermarkets, shifting focus away from its previous “carbon zero” claims.
“It feels like an abandonment of green claims on products,” Consumer NZ investigations leader Rebecca Styles said.
Styles noted that over the years, many customers chose to pay a premium for these products in order to support environmentally conscious practices, opting for them over cheaper alternatives.
“The promise hasn’t been fulfilled really; you’ve been misled,” she said.
Styles also emphasised that, in the case of Simply Milk, Fonterra focused on offsetting emissions rather than actively reducing them. The carbon-neutral certification for Simply Milk involved offsetting emissions through initiatives such as South Island forest regeneration and wind power projects in India, as outlined in past information from Fonterra’s website.
“To be a net carbon zero, you need to be able to do both.”
Fonterra’s Oceania marketing and innovation director, Renée Milkop-Kerr, explained that achieving Toitū net carbon zero certification for Simply Milk required setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and offsetting the remaining annual emissions through the purchase of carbon credits.
Fonterra stated that while emissions have decreased since the launch of Simply Milk, the specific emissions reduction target set for the product “has not been achieved.”
10-cent donation per bottle
Milkop-Kerr explained that “Fonterra decided to pivot away from its use of zero-carbon claims due to a lack of consumer understanding… Listening to feedback from New Zealanders, it was evident that offering a 10-cent-a-bottle donation to social supermarkets is more appealing and easier to understand.”
Toitū Envirocare, the independent certifier for Fonterra’s Simply Milk, confirmed that the company initially met the requirements for Toitū net carbon zero certification. However, they noted that Fonterra’s 2.2% emissions reduction target, set over a six-year period, was not achieved as the company withdrew before reaching this milestone.
“Toitū Envirocare follows a rigorous, internationally recognised certification process that undergoes independent auditing and accreditation by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ).”
The organisation also reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in environmental claims.
“We stand against greenwashing, which is why we prioritise transparency—even when things don’t go to plan… We also stand against greenhushing, where the fear of criticism leads companies to shy away from sharing their targets or progress or learning or failures.”