White Paper: The Carbon Footprint of School Food

Is your school's biggest carbon footprint hiding in the cafeteria?

Most schools' sustainability strategies focus on energy and waste - but school food can rival energy consumption in emissions. With food responsible for 30% of global GHG emissions, it’s time to rethink what’s on the menu in school canteens.

Key Insights from Our New White Paper:

• Meat and dairy = nearly 50% of schools' food-related emissions

• Food emissions can rival energy use, but unlike energy, schools rarely track their food footprint

• School diets contain 3-5x more meat and dairy and as little as 1/20th of the plant based protein compared to the EAT Lancet diet for planetary health

• Partnering with caterers on menu design, meat-free days, and behavioural nudges such as carbon labelling and choice architecture can cut emissions and create lifelong sustainable eating habits