JBS Drops 2040 Net-Zero Climate Target

JBS abandons 2040 net zero commitment and supply chain targets

JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, has withdrawn its 2040 net zero emissions pledge. The company published updated sustainability reporting in July 2026 that removes Scope 3 targets entirely. These targets previously covered emissions from livestock production and processing throughout its supply chain.

The revised plan retains only two commitments. JBS will pursue a 30% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity by 2030. It also aims for a 70% reduction in those same emissions by 2050. Both goals apply solely to the company’s direct operations and purchased energy.

This matters because Scope 3 emissions represent the majority of JBS’s climate footprint. The company announced its original 2040 net zero commitment in 2021. That pledge covered all three emissions scopes across the entire value chain. The updated reporting published on 8 July 2026 replaces that commitment with narrower operational targets.

Scope 3 emissions removed from reduction commitments

Scope 1 emissions come from sources a company owns or controls directly. For example, these include fuel burned in processing facilities or company vehicles. Scope 2 emissions cover purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling. Scope 3 emissions capture everything else in the value chain, both upstream and downstream.

For meat processors, Scope 3 is where most emissions sit. Livestock production generates methane and requires substantial land use, feed production and transport. These supply chain emissions typically dwarf the footprint of processing facilities themselves. Consequently, any serious decarbonisation plan for a meat business must address the farming systems that supply it.

JBS has stepped back from this challenge. Jason Weller, the company’s sustainability chief, confirmed that JBS removed its broader net zero target. The company says it will continue to report Scope 3 emissions. However, it no longer commits to reducing them. This distinction is commercially significant because reporting without reduction targets imposes no binding obligation to change procurement practices or supplier relationships.

Reuters previously reported that Weller described the 2021 net zero pledge as an