The KlimaStaR Milk resource project, a cross-industry initiative launched in 2022 by Emmi, Nestlé, aaremilch, ZMP and AgroCleanTech with support from the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, has reported significant progress after four years. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and competition for feed-food and land by 20% each by 2027. At the end of 2025, 219 dairy farms producing around 73 million kilograms of milk annually were participating. According to the Media release as PDF, the results validate the path taken and lay the foundation for broader implementation.
The fourth-year results show that farms have reduced feed-food competition by around 23% since the project's start, surpassing the original 20% target. Competition for land has also declined, now 15% below the baseline. These gains mean farms produce more milk and animal protein on the same or only slightly larger area, with particularly marked progress in the valley zone. Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of milk have fallen by around 8% relative to the start. In 2025, farms reduced emissions by 66 grams of CO2 equivalents per kilogram of milk. Although absolute emissions increased slightly due to higher overall milk production, they remained lower than they would have been without the measures. Extrapolated to the 73 million kilograms produced, this equates to a reduction of almost 5,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent compared with the original production system.
However, further reductions are challenging. The baseline values for greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland were lower than originally assumed and below the international average, making additional progress harder. High investments and long planning horizons also pose obstacles. In the remaining two years, farms will receive individual guidance and tailored advice on exploiting further reduction potential. Farms that have already significantly lowered emissions while reducing feed-food and land competition are sharing their experiences with other participants.
The positive results are encouraging the industry to expand its commitment. Based on project findings, the industry organisation Milch (BOM) has developed a climate calculator available to all Swiss milk producers since July 2026. This tool allows farms to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions and feed-food competition and to determine optimisation measures. By using the methods developed in the project, the dairy industry is laying the foundation for applying progress at national level, beyond the project farms. It thus contributes to the Federal Council's objectives for Swiss agriculture up to 2050, which include more climate-friendly production and increased use of grass and by-products from food production.
For more details, the KlimaStaR Milk website (in German) offers further information, and various documents such as images, video testimonials and animated infographics are available. The project's success demonstrates that collaborative efforts can drive meaningful environmental progress in agriculture, with implications for climate policy and sustainable food production.
View the original release on www.newmediawire.com.
