Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, the U.S. dairy industry stood by its social and environmental sustainability commitments in 2020.
That’s according to the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s biennial sustainability report which charts progress against the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, the industry’s voluntary pledge to demonstrate positive impacts in environmental sustainability, animal care, community contributions and food safety.
“The U.S. dairy industry has continued to prioritize social responsibility, helping people and communities thrive, while advancing sustainable practices and becoming an environmental solution,” said Lisa Watson, Social Responsibility Officer, Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “It’s the result of cross sector collaboration among dairy farmers, companies and other key stakeholders working together to address complex sustainability challenges and accelerate positive change.”
The dairy’s industry’s achievements include:
- More than 95% of resources from processors was recovered, redirected and put to beneficial use such as donated to feed hungry people, repurposed for industry purposes and to feed animals and sent to composts (vs. sent to landfill).
- U.S. dairy provided 1.538 billion servings of nutritious milk, cheese and yogurt in 2020 to food banks in the Feeding America network, a 33% increase over 2019 and a 107 percent increase since 2016.
- The dairy industry supported 3.3 million jobs in the U.S. and contributed $752.93B in total economic impact.
- By making use of the water present in milk, U.S. dairy processors were net positive for water, returning more than they withdrew from municipal and other sources.