New study shows global supermarkets still shelving action on methane 

A new report by the Changing Markets Foundation and Mighty Earth reveals how the world’s largest food retailers are lagging or even backpedalling on delivering effective methane action for second year in a row. 

Embargoed to 00:01am EST, 05:01am BST, 06:01am CEST on 21 April 2026  

London, 21 April 2026: Changing Markets Foundation and Mighty Earth have published their latest retail rankings report – Shelved Again: Supermarkets’ Missing Action on Methane – which assesses the methane performance of 20 food retailers across six countries. With a combined estimated annual revenue of $2 trillion, these retail giants have a comparable GDP to Brazil, yet new research reveals they are still failing to deliver effective methane action. This is despite methane accounting for a significant share of their Scope 3 emissions generated across their supply chain, arising mainly from the meat and dairy products they sell. 

Key takeaways from the new report include: 

1. The bar hasn’t been raised since last year as not a single retailer publicly reports its methane emissions or has set a target to reduce them; 

1. While Tesco, Lidl and Ahold Delhaize top the list, they are not leading the sector on meaningful methane action;  

1. In the new rankings, Asda in the UK lost the most points (-7.5 points) and Edeka-Verbund in Germany made the most progress (+17.5 points);  

1. US supermarkets performed worse than their European counterparts with Costco and Walmart scoring below 10 points and Albertsons and Publix scoring no points at all.  

Leaders not leading 

The findings build on Changing Markets and Mighty Earth’s 2025 report – Clean Up On Aisle 3 – which set the first benchmark for some of the biggest food giants on this crucial climate issue. This year the three highest performing retailers – Tesco, Lidl and Ahold Delhaize – all scored above 40% and have taken some important steps in the areas of overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting; SBTi-validated targets; as well as limited targets to increase the sales of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. And yet, the top three performers still fall short of decisive action on methane. If those retailers want to maintain their slim lead and climate leadership reputations, they will need to make rapid progress on methane.  

Jurjen de Waal, Senior Director at Mighty Earth said: 

“For a second year running supermarkets have shelved ambition to tackle superheating methane embedded in meat and dairy supply chains. Methane emissions from livestock agriculture, primarily cattle, are a key driver of climate change. Rapidly cutting methane is one of the fastest ways to put the brakes on global warming. Supermarkets are uniquely positioned to support a shift to diets with less meat and more plants, a key solution for tackling methane.” 

Action on methane is possible 

There is emerging leadership in other food system sectors. Dairy giant Danone disclosed that it has nearly met its target to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 five years early. While Brazilian meatpacker, Marfrig, became the first meat company to publish its methane emissions and to set a methane reduction target of 33% by 2035. 

Albert Heijn in the Netherlands (part of the Ahold Delhaize group) is the only retailer to currently disclose its methane emissions despite 11 retailers in the report disclosing emissions in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – the world’s most widely used GHG accounting standard. Given that the underlying data does exist, the choice to not report it represents a clear gap in transparency rather than a lack of capability. 

Izzy Howden, Senior Campaigner at Changing Markets added: 

“Rapidly tackling methane is a quick win to halt global heating. The 20 retailers in this report are headquartered in countries signed to the Global Methane Pledge, but all remain far off track to deliver the reduction of at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. These retailers hold a unique and powerful position to influence the global food system. Yet their failure to act has created a leadership vacuum that must urgently be addressed.” 

Pockets of progress 

Eleven retailers did improve on their scores from last year. Retailers are gaining points for small steps – such as reporting overall greenhouse gas emissions or publishing comparable alternative protein sales figures – but these actions do not amount to credible methane reduction strategies. The highest levels of performance were seen in acknowledging the impact of methane from livestock in some way (70%, 14 out of 20 retailers) and in plant-based alternative protein offerings, where 75% of retailers (15 out of 20 retailers) achieved full points for a broad own-brand range. 

Plant-based solution 

However, only three retailers assessed (Casino, Lidl, and Tesco) explicitly support a reduction of meat and dairy products – which are significantly more emissions-intensive than plant-based proteins – to address climate change. The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) – developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission – is a science-based dietary pattern that recommends nuts and legumes – including beans and pulses, as protein sources, with only small amounts of red meat and dairy foods. It should serve as a benchmark for food retailers when setting ambitious targets and plans for methane reductions. Currently no retailer has committed to increase sales of plant-based proteins to at least 60 per cent and reduce animal-based proteins to 40 per cent by 2030. 

Why methane matters 

The majority of human-made methane emissions comes from agriculture (42%) which is primarily driven by meat and dairy production. Methane is a super-pollutant, 80-times more potent than CO2 and is responsible for around a third of global heating since pre-industrial levels. Yet it’s short-lived, so rapid cuts to methane emissions can determine whether warming can be kept below 1.5°C – the target to ensure a liveable planet. 

This is why Changing Markets and Mighty Earth urgently call for the food retailers to: 

• Incorporate science-based methane emission reduction targets of at least 30% by 2030 (from a 2020 baseline) and report on methane emissions annually; 

• As a solution to cutting methane emissions, increase plant-based sales, which includes wholefood and vegetable proteins, over meat and dairy and set a target to achieve at least 60% plant-based protein against 40% animal-based protein by 2030; 

• Acknowledge methane risk given climate change and the associated impacts – be they operational, regulatory, or financial – are material risks for retailers. 

ends 

Contact details 

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: 

Carole Mitchell, Global Director of Communications at Mighty Earth
Carole@mightyearth.org
+44 7917 105000

Jaskiran Shergill, Vice President, FINN Partners for Changing Markets Foundation
jaskiran.shergill@finnpartners.com
+44 20 7046 8336

Notes to the Editor: 

1. In November 2025, Changing Markets launched the Methane Action Tracker – a first-of-its-kind interactive tool that draws on existing data to track both corporate and country-level actions on methane emissions. Using maps, scorecards, and rankings, the tracker brings to life data from research and reports on the agricultural sector’s role in driving climate change, allowing users to see which nations, corporations, and sectors are taking credible steps to cut emissions, and which ones are lagging.  

Methodology  

The analysis looks at the same group of 20 of the world’s largest food retailers by revenue on their climate and nature-related disclosures, with a particular focus on methane emissions embedded in meat and dairy supply chains. Using the same criteria as the first edition, Clean Up on Aisle 3: the Methane Mess Supermarkets Are Hiding, retailers were scored across 5 key categories with 100 total points available: 

1. The role of methane: 15 points   

1. Emissions reporting: 21 points   

1. Emissions reduction commitments and action plans: 36 points   

1. Food and landfill waste policies: 8 points   

1. Protein alternatives: 20 points   

Research took place between 1st-27th February 2026. Retailers were then sent their scores ahead of publication and were given one week to respond to the findings, including by providing additional information. Only publicly available data on the retailers’ own websites and the SBTi Targets Dashboard was analysed.  

About Changing Markets

The Changing Markets Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to exposing irresponsible corporate practices and driving sustainable market change. Our campaigns focus on holding companies accountable for environmental impacts and accelerating the transition to sustainable business models.
 

About Mighty Earth 

Mighty Earth is a global advocacy organization working to defend a living planet.  Our goal is to protect Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish.  We are obsessed with impact, and our team has achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and animal feed, while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics.   

www.mightyearth.org