JBS abandons Scope 3 emissions targets, scales back 2040 net-zero plan

JBS NV, the world’s largest meatpacker, has abandoned its 2040 net-zero emissions target that covered all three greenhouse gas scopes and removed Scope 3 reduction goals from its climate plan. The company now focuses exclusively on emissions it directly controls—Scope 1 and Scope 2—after criticism over accountability and a $1.1 million settlement with the New York attorney general last fall over misleading carbon-reduction claims. JBS will continue reporting Scope 3 emissions annually but will no longer set targets for reducing them. Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions accounted for about 4% of JBS’s total emissions in 2025, while Scope 3—primarily livestock-related emissions—made up the remaining 96%. The company now aims to cut Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions intensity by 30% by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline and reduce those emissions by 70% across its processing facilities by 2050. JBS also scrapped a $100 million investment target for Scope 3 reduction R&D, redirecting those funds into operational programs, including a Brazilian initiative supporting small producers in complying with environmental regulations and adopting regenerative practices. The company maintains its commitment to not purchase cattle grazed on land in the Amazon illegally deforested after 2008. The shift follows regulatory scrutiny during its NYSE listing process last year, where environmental groups raised concerns over traceability and greenwashing. JBS, which began trading on the NYSE in June 2025, saw its stock drop as much as 2.8% on July 8, 2026.