JBS dropped its net-zero by 2040 target and eliminated any reference to previous deforestation commitments in its 2025 sustainability report released July 10, representing a significant retreat from climate pledges the company made five years ago. The company announced plans to focus instead on reducing “emissions intensity” from direct operations — Scope 1 and 2 emissions — which represent approximately 2-3% of its total greenhouse gas footprint.
The decision shifts emphasis away from supply chain emissions — Scope 3 — where nearly 97% of JBS’s carbon footprint originates, primarily from livestock production. Last year alone, JBS generated over 184 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in Scope 3 emissions.
“The further we got into execution, the clearer it became that a Net Zero goal spanning hundreds of thousands of independent agricultural producers across tens of millions of hectares in dozens of countries — each with different practices, different baselines, and no standardized measurement infrastructure — is an immense challenge,” said Jason Weller, JBS Global Chief Sustainability Officer.
Scope focus and accounting shifts
The company’s revised approach focuses on 30% Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction by 2030 and 70% reduction by 2050, both against a 2019 baseline. These direct operational emissions stem from energy and fuel use, refrigerants, and waste across JBS facilities globally.
The strategic shift concentrates on the emissions JBS can directly control rather than addressing supply chain impacts where the majority of its greenhouse gas contribution originates. Global meat production accounts for at least 16.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, with cattle production representing substantial portions through both direct animal emissions and land-use impacts from grain cultivation.
Environmental groups criticized the repositioning as deliberately sidestepping the largest emissions source. “These were always empty promises that JBS was never realistically going to deliver,” said Daniela Montalto, campaigner at Greenpeace UK. “But now JBS appears to have given its supply chain — be it livestock or animal feed — carte blanche for the wholesale sacrifice of ecosystems from the Amazon to new frontiers in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Legal context and regulatory pressure
The policy shift follows JBS’s 2024 settlement with New York’s attorney general, who accused the company of misleading consumers about emissions reduction efforts and claimed it had “no viable plan” to meet its net-zero goal. Under the settlement reached in November 2025, JBS agreed to invest $1.1 million in climate-smart agriculture in New York and reframed the 2040 target as a “goal” rather than a “pledge or commitment.”
The abandoned commitments also follow JBS’s 2025 New York Stock Exchange listing, which occurred days after company filings showed JBS subsidiary Pilgrim’s Pride contributed $5 million to Trump’s inauguration committee. Environmental groups, which campaigned against the listing, noted the company’s links to deforestation and corruption, with billionaire owners Joesley and Wesley Batista having faced imprisonment on bribery charges.
The company’s operations span United States, Latin America, and Europe, with recent expansion into Middle East, Asia, and announced major operations in Nigeria — its first African facility. The global expansion could significantly increase the company’s climate footprint.
Deforestation commitment removals
The sustainability report also omitted any reference to JBS’s previous time-bound deforestation elimination target across Brazilian supply chains. The removal coincides with broader livestock sector trends where “other major livestock companies and grain traders in the livestock supply chain appear to be shrinking their climate ambitions,” including jettisoning membership in successful Amazon deforestation moratoriums.
JBS’s shift represents broader livestock industry patterns where companies face pressure to demonstrate climate leadership while resisting concrete supply chain emissions reductions. The company maintained in a statement that its “updated sustainability framework reflects a disciplined evolution, strengthening operational fundamentals, advancing measurable progress, and building long-term supply chain resilience.”
