February 2022

JBS is a company you have likely never heard of. Yet, it is the largest global producer of beef, chicken and lamb, and number three in pork.

It slaughters a staggering 13 million animals every single day and has an annual revenue of $50 billion. The company’s second quarter of 2021 was its biggest ever in terms of sales and net profit. Judging by annual sales figures, it’s second only to Nestle.

However, this growth has come at an environmental and social cost: JBS has been involved in numerous corruption scandals, fined for violating Amazon rainforest protection laws and has come under fire for selling ‘dirty meat’ contaminated with salmonella. Last but not least, they are also major contributors to the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions with more than 14% flowing from the farming of animals. Against this background, it seems surprising that in March 2021, JBS was the first global meat and poultry company to pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2040.

The question is: Do JBS’ promises actually hold up and do its targets meet the urgency of the climate crisis?

Watch the video below to find out more.

Made for the LINKLATERS ‘Pitch for Change’ Challenge 2022.

Contributors: Linda Novobilska, Danya Novak & myself

Sound: Epidemic Sound

Footage: Pixabay