Today, we have a special guest writer. Meet Jane Pennoyer, our data methodology, content creation renaissance woman. Today, she delves into the truth behind Milk, or Mylk.  

Milk (noun) is “a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of females for the nourishment of their young.”

Mylk (noun) is “an alternatively spelled word used to describe plant derived ‘milks’. In some locations, alternative spellings like these also help avoid lawsuits from vested interests.”

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that a trip to buy milk at my local market has become a confusing experience involving a myriad of products: cow milk, almond mylk, oat mylk… pistachio mylk?! Each one appears in a variety of types from a variety of brands, making the decision no less overwhelming. In what used to be known simply as the dairy aisle, choice has become a burden. Selecting the tastes-great-good-for-the-planet, oh, and can’t forget most-nutritious option is getting more difficult as the mylk industry expands. 

The history of the American milk industry began in 1623, when Europeans brought cows across the pond for the first time. Milk played an important role in feeding the expanding population of the Americas and was consumed in its raw, most nutrient-dense form until the 1860s. As alcohol became more popular in the 19th century, distilleries created a spent-grain byproduct of alcohol production called swill which was used as cow feed. Unfortunately, this low-nutrient feed led to illness in cows and those who drank their low-quality milk. In the 1860s, French microbiologist Louis Pasteur invented the lifesaving “pasteurization” method, a rapid heating and cooling process that kills organisms living in milk. Ever since, pasteurized milk has been a staple of the American diet and the “reigning queen” of the modern supermarket. Milk is so American that it is the only drink allowed on the senate floor besides water.

Today, many mylk options are cropping up in the market and taking up significant shelf space in grocery stores. Simultaneously, fresh liquid milk sales are declining in America. Surprisingly, however, the dairy industry is not suffering. Processed dairy products such as cheese, butter, ice cream, and yogurt are much more profitable for the dairy industry due to their longer shelf life, and these foods have been steadily increasing in popularity over the last twenty years.

While this news is great for the dairy industry, it is not so great for our planet. It is estimated that the dairy industry is currently responsible for 3.6 percent of global planet warming emissions annually, and the IFCN expects milk demand to rise 35% from 2017 to 2030.  

Despite the fact that the dairy industry is not suffering in the face of new mylks, our small choices do have a cumulative effect. Choosing to take dairy milk in your coffee will account for two-thirds of the carbon footprint of the drink. So what about the other options? Below, we’ve outlined the different environmental impacts of cow milk versus the most popular non-dairy alternatives.

Drinking one 200ml glass of cow milk per day results in 229kg of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of 568 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle in the US. This amount of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided by replacing 8.7 incandescent lamps with LED lightbulbs annually. This level of dairy consumption also uses 45,733 liters of water, equal to 703 showers lasting eight minutes.

Drinking one 200ml glass of almond mylk per day results in 51kg of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of 127 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle in the US. This amount of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided by replacing 1.9 incandescent lamps with LED lightbulbs annually. This level of almond mylk consumption also uses 27,042 liters of water, equal to 416 showers lasting eight minutes. While almonds are a water intensive crop, almond mylk production requires only about half of the amount of water used in cow milk production. Almond mylk has roughly 30-150 calories per serving depending on the ingredients, with the higher calorie options being more nutritionally dense.

Drinking one 200ml glass of oat mylk per day results in 65kg of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of 161 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle in the US. This amount of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided by replacing 2.5 incandescent lamps with LED lightbulbs annually. This level of oat mylk consumption also uses 3,512 liters of water, equal to 54 showers lasting eight minutes. Oat mylk has a good amount of fiber in it and is more caloric than other mylks, so a little goes a longer way.

Drinking one 200ml glass of soy mylk per day results in 71kg of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of 176 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle in the US. This amount of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided by replacing 2.7 incandescent lamps with LED lightbulbs annually. This level of soy mylk consumption also uses 2,049 liters of water, equal to 32 showers lasting eight minutes. Soy mylk has about as much protein as whole cow milk, but only half the fat.

Drinking one 200ml glass of rice mylk per day results in 86kg of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of 213 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle in the US. This amount of greenhouse gas emissions could be avoided by replacing 3.3 incandescent lamps with LED lightbulbs annually. This level of rice mylk consumption also uses 19,642 liters of water, equal to 302 showers lasting eight minutes. Rice mylk is similar to oat mylk in its calorie content.

Making the switch to one of these alternatives is a great step to take in lowering your carbon footprint as a consumer, but it’s important to consider that the other decisions we make throughout the day are important, too. Don’t get us wrong — we’re all about a big ice cream cone on a hot summer day. But it’s silly for us to think that we’re solving the world’s problems by drinking a bit of almond mylk every morning, when we are simultaneously over-consuming dairy in every other category.

Our advice? Start with what you can. If switching to a mylk is the right choice for you, go for it. If you’re on the Oatly ice cream train, that’s great. Keep in mind that different manufacturers of the same type of mylk will have different environmental impacts based on their sourcing, production, shipping, and packaging methods. Choosing an organic option is always a great bet, as organic products don’t use pesticides and are generally less water intensive.

As we choose mylk over milk, demand is shifting and companies are responding accordingly. Even some traditional dairy manufacturers such as HP Hood and Elmhurst are getting into the mylk game, and more will follow suit. Choosing lower-impact alternatives whenever you are able to do so contributes to the growth of a burgeoning industry that is an environmental improvement upon dairy.

Jane Pennoyer is our Product Manager of Data & Content. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 2015 and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the design industry. Most recently she worked for Parachute Home where she was assigned to and ultimately led the Sustainability Taskforce. She is now pursuing a career focusing on sustainability and waste-reduction in the consumer goods industry and is thrilled to be a contributor.