Overview
- The peer‑reviewed research, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, estimates ingredients for UK dog food generate about 1% of the nation’s greenhouse‑gas emissions.
- Across nearly 1,000 foods, emissions varied up to 65‑fold, with an extreme estimate of 13,000 kg CO2e per year for a 20 kg dog on the highest‑impact diet versus 178 kg for the lowest‑impact option.
- Wet, raw and meat‑rich products were consistently higher impact, while dry kibble not marketed as grain‑free tended to be lower.
- If UK‑style feeding were applied to all dogs worldwide, the resulting emissions could exceed half those from commercial jet‑fuel burning each year.
- Researchers and the British Veterinary Association urge clearer ingredient labeling and greater use of lower‑demand cuts, by‑products or plant‑based recipes, noting the estimates cover ingredient production only and plant‑based data were limited.