Angus cattle on feed at JBS Beef City near ToowoombaTHE world’s largest meat processor, JBS, says it will walk back a key part of its “net zero by 2040” target, bringing the focus to reducing its own operational footprint.

In its 2025 sustainability report released this week, the company says it will drop the Scope 3 part of its target which is mostly for producers selling cattle to the company. Its three main climate targets now are:

• Near-Term: A 30 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity (tCO₂e/t of finished product) by 2030 (2019 baseline).
• Long-Term: A 70pc reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity (tCO₂e/t of finished product) across JBS processing facilities by 2050 (2019 baseline).
• Renewable Energy Transition: Reach 60pc renewable electricity use globally by 2030.

JBS global chief sustainability officer Jason Weller said the company was more focused on targets that can deliver measurable outcomes.

Jason Weller JBS chief sustainability officer

“Our climate targets emphasize what JBS can execute and verify within our operations, while we work collaboratively with producers, customers, and partners to address the broader challenges shaping our industry,” Mr Weller said.

“As a major player in the global food value chain, we have a responsibility to lead, and this reporting framework sets a clear, accountable standard for our stakeholders.”

A heavily scrutinised target

The JBS net zero target has been one of the most heavily scrutinised in the world, with a New York attorney general suing the company in 2024 saying its expansion plans meant the target could not be met.

JBS has also moved away from another program called the Science Based Targets initiative, a group of environmental organisations that have signed up companies from across the world to set a standard for their targets. SBTi has pushed companies into setting a “deforestation free” target alongside their net zero goals.

Not walking away from challenges

In a separate published by Mr Weller, he said that reducing Scope 3 emissions was a complex task.

“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 standardised measurement infrastructure — is an immense challenge,” he said.

“Delivering a system-wide ambition at that scale depends on data, producer adoption, technology, and measurement infrastructure that are still developing across global agriculture.

“We’re not walking away from challenges and opportunities in feeding a growing world in the face of a changing climate. We are strengthening our framework so our goals better reflect where we can take direct action, measure progress consistently, and hold ourselves accountable.”