U.S. Dairy's sustainability success story told to global customers in seven languages

USDEC infographics showcase progress on water use, greenhouse gas emission, waste reduction, animal care and other advances.

A concise handout created in seven languages tells the U.S. dairy industry's sustainability success story to the world.

New infographics illustrate U.S. Dairy’s long-standing commitment to healthy people, a healthy planet and healthy communities, with data on water use, greenhouse gas emission, waste reduction and animal care, among other advances. 

The four-page handout was created by the U.S. Dairy Export Council to provide U.S. dairy exporters easy-to-understand content they can share with their global customers. 

English cover of four-page handout on U.S. Dairy sustainability legacy

It can be downloaded as a printable PDF in these languages:

• English
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese
• Spanish
• Vietnamese 
• Chinese

"We are telling the world a story it may not know, how nourishing the planet for future generations has been a long-standing priority for the U.S. dairy industry," said Krysta Harden, the U.S. Dairy Export Council's interim chief operating officer. "We are proud of what we have accomplished but hardly satisfied. Sustainability is a major emphasis for us."

This USDEC infographic for Vietnam shows how the U.S. dairy industry conserves water.

Sustainability facts in the handout include: 

• The United States is a global leader in herd efficiency, producing four times more milk per cow than the average global cow.

• The average GHG emission footprint per gallon (3.79 liters) of U.S. milk is nearly 50 percent lower than the world average.

• 98% of U.S. milk comes from dairies voluntarily participating in Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM), the first livestock animal care program in the world to be recognized by the International Organization for Standardization.

• In 2017, producing a gallon of milk in the U.S. involved 30% less water, 21% less land and a 19% smaller carbon footprint than it did in 2007.

• Of all GHG emissions in the United States, the dairy industry—from feed production to post-consumer waste—currently contributes only 2% and the U.S. dairy community is taking proactive steps to reduce that even further.

In addition to her role at USDEC, Harden serves as the executive vice president of global environmental strategy at Dairy Management Inc., USDEC's parent organization. Harden said the U.S. dairy industry is positioned to build on past accomplishments through the Dairy Sustainability Alliance,^® a multi-stakeholder group consisting of individuals from across the U.S. dairy community.

Through in-person meetings, webinars and newsletters, Dairy Sustainability Alliance^® members share knowledge, collaborate on issues affecting the industry at large and accelerate progress toward common sustainability goals.

"Coming out of the immediate-term crisis around COVID-19, the U.S. dairy industry is committed to focusing even more on sustainability," said Harden, "by collaborating and identifying new resources and technologies that will enable us to sustainably feed people around the world for years to come."

The sustainability story is part of a larger collection of brochures highlighting U.S. Dairy's multifaceted strengths, from a broad industry perspective as well as a product-specific focus (e.g. cheese, milk powder, dairy proteins, permeate and butter). USDEC has created additional resources for global customers to accelerate their success in the marketplace using U.S. Dairy.

Go here to download our "sustainability and stewardship" resources, which include the following:

Above: Sustainability messages on USDEC's website for global customers.

Mark O'Keefe is vice president of editorial services at the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

Learn more:

• New videos show the world how U.S. dairy farmers 'are the original environmentalists'
• Sustainability Project Boldly Aims for "Net Zero" Climate Impact from U.S. Dairy
• U.S. Dairy Exports Start with Farmer Passion for Sustainability, Customer Focus, Animal Care and Efficiency
• Vilsack Promotes Dairy's Sustainability Story