By Clay Detlefsen, IDFA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs

More and more frequently dairy producers and processors are asked the same question: How much greenhouse gas is emitted during the production and distribution of a bottle of milk? No matter what you say, you know the answer is going to be "too much."

To find a better answer to this question, an extraordinary group of dairy industry leaders and stakeholders gathered in June for the first ever Sustainability Summit for the Fluid Milk Industry. It produced a range of ideas on how to reduce milk's carbon footprint across the value chain, but more importantly, it produced an action plan that has the power to ensure a healthy, environmentally friendly fluid milk industry.

For IDFA members, this means looking at the processing, packaging and transportation of dairy products. Reducing energy use by using alternatives to thermal-based processes is an area of interest for dairy processors. This includes ultrasonic, UV and micro filtration-based milk processing, and cleaning and sanitizing equipment at ambient temperatures.

Packaging is another area where innovation can contribute to decreasing milk's carbon footprint. While the milk crate has long been a model of "green" secondary reusable packaging, processors are reviewing crate-free options and exploring other primary packaging options, such as the new square milk jug, along with sustainable paper and other packages.

We'll need to do a good deal of testing and refining of these ideas, but they all have one thing in common: conserving energy and reducing production costs, which are good for the environment as well as a company's balance sheet.

While sustainable practices have long been a part of the dairy industry, this industry-wide commitment will produce model projects and processes that can be tested to determine how successfully they reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

By the way, here's the answer to the question "How much greenhouse gas is emitted in the production of a bottle of milk?" About 10 pounds of CO2 equivalent for every gallon of milk.

DairyLine is heard on more than 90 radio stations, and IDFA provides listeners with a processor perspective on industry issues during broadcasts twice a month.

Posted July 21, 2008