Singapore’s top supermarket ranks last in first Asian climate scorecard
Read the report here
The first-ever assessment of the climate commitments and action of eight major supermarkets across four Asian countries—Singapore, China, Japan, and South Korea—by global environmental organization Mighty Earth, finds Singaporean supermarket FairPrice Group at the very bottom of the table. FairPrice Group scored zero points from 20 indicators across six categories, reflecting a total absence of action on climate pollution and failing to support the plant-based transition, in a city-state at the cutting edge of the alternative protein industry.
The analysis examines the supermarkets’ climate commitments in the context of rising meat consumption in Asia – a key driver of the superheater greenhouse gas methane. Livestock agriculture accounts for approximately 32% of human-caused methane emissions, and the sector is the single biggest driver of rising agricultural methane emissions globally. The report highlights the failure of Asian retailers to address methane emissions in their meat and dairy supply chains, despite the sector’s substantial climate impact in the region.
The retailers analyzed in the report are DFI Retail Group and Sun Art Retail Group Limited in China and Hong Kong; Walmart in China; AEON and Seven & i in Japan, Emart Inc. and Lotte Shopping in South Korea; and FairPrice Group in Singapore.
The very bottom for Singaporean retailer
As a low-lying and densely populated country, Singapore is already facing the impacts of global heating through rising temperatures and increased rainfall and flooding. However, FairPrice appears out of step with the robust regulatory backdrop emerging in Singapore, mandating emissions reporting and the country’s net-zero 2050 commitment.
By ignoring the impact of those emissions in global supply chains, FairPrice Group displays a complete lack of ambition, hence its position at the bottom of the table.
Alternative proteins and the Singapore anomaly
The alternative proteins market in Asia is projected to grow rapidly, with Singapore firmly established as a global hub for plant-based, fermentation, and cultivated meat products. It’s estimated Singapore is home to around 70 alternative protein start-ups, yet the study found its leading supermarket, FairPrice Group, is failing to participate in this expanding market and support consumers in the shift to diets with more plants, which is critical to reduce emissions driven by the food system. It is projected that if alternative proteins rise to 11% of the protein market by 2035, they can slash greenhouse gas emissions on a scale roughly equal to decarbonizing the entire aviation industry.
Meihua Piao, East Asia Manager for Mighty Earth, said:
“Singapore has a world-class reputation as the global hub for alternative protein innovation, which begs the question why its top supermarket, FairPrice Group, is devoid of any plans to support the plant-based transition.”
“Singapore’s leadership in developing alternative proteins must extend to supermarket shelves. For FairPrice Group, that means supporting the alt protein companies on its doorstep, setting plant-based targets, and getting to grips with the global shift to diets with more plants.”
“Transparent reporting is also a critical first step that all Asian retailers must take to address methane pollution in meat, dairy, and rice supply chains. Rapidly cutting methane is one of the fastest ways to put the brakes on global warming and to lessen the extreme climate impacts that the region is already experiencing.”
Singapore’s climate commitments
Singapore is a signatory of the Global Methane Pledge, a voluntary commitment launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, and has committed to reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030 to help limit global warming to 1.5°C. Singapore is also transitioning to mandatory climate disclosure, adopting a phased approach, and has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
Other key findings:
- Japan’s AEON ranked highest overall yet earned just 20.5 out of 100, less than a quarter of the totalpoints available.
- While AEON was the only retailer to acknowledge the climate impact of methane from livestock publicly, it has yet to implement specific, measurable actions to reduce emissions.
- Methane emissions from livestock agriculture and rice cultivation, which are highly significant in the Asian growing marketplace, remain largely unaddressed by the retailers assessed by Mighty Earth.
- Not a single retailer has a publicly available deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) policy, despite the significant impacts of deforestation on climate and nature, driven by meat and dairy production.
Asia’s methane problem
Methane is a short-lived but super-polluting greenhouse gas that is roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year-period, making rapid cuts to methane emissions one of the fastest levers to slow near-term warming.
In 2023, methane emissions from Asia reached approximately 4.58 billion tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). With the region warming at roughly twice the global average, climate impacts are already being felt across economies, ecosystems, and societies.
Beef is the single biggest driver of agricultural methane emissions globally and is the second most widely consumed red meat in Asia after pork. According to the FAO/OECD, meat and seafood consumption in Asia is set to rise by 78% by 2050.
In short, growing meat and dairy consumption is driving Asia’s methane emissions.
Asia accounts for approximately 90% of global rice production and consumption, with methane emissions from rice cultivation representing a major and persistent climate challenge in the region. Globally, approximately 60 million tons of methane is emitted each year from rice production — around 10% of global anthropogenic methane emissions.
Action by Asian retailers
Mighty Earth is calling on the eight Asian retailers to take immediate action, starting with greater transparency in climate reporting, including disclosure of methane emissions from meat, dairy, and rice products. As part of this work, companies must:
- Acknowledge methane’s major role in their emissions profiles and climate change plans and raise consumer awareness of this important issue.
- Set methane reduction targets in line with the Global Methane Pledge of 30% reduction by 2030.
- Support a transition to plant-based diets by setting a target to achieve at least 60% plant-based and 40% animal-based sales ratio by 2030.
ends
Notes to editors:
Methodology:
The assessment of the eight retailers relies exclusively on public disclosures, including company reports, websites, and the SBTi commitment database; no confidential or proprietary data was used. It assesses transparency rather than on-the-ground implementation, treating public disclosure as a core measure of accountability.
- The analysis evaluates eight of Asia’s key supermarkets on their climate disclosure and methane emissions. The retailers included in this scorecard were selected based on their yearly revenue, volume of grocery sales, and overall market dominance in the food retailer sector. These retailers were evaluated on 20 indicators across six categories, with the research conducted between December 1, 2025, and January 15, 2026.
- Where applicable, the analysis focused on the recent climate-related disclosure published on retailers’ websites. The sole exception was Indicator 3.4, which also drew data from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitment database.
- The total score is 100 points, distributed among 20 indicators. Each indicator was scored on a three-tier scale: full points, half points, or zero points. Indicators were weighted differently, with each assigned a specific score based on its related importance and its potential impact on a retailer’s methane emissions and overall climate accountability.
About Mighty Earth
Mighty Earth is a global advocacy organization working to defend a living planet. Our goal is to protect Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. We are obsessed with impact, and our team has achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and animal feed, while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics.
Link to report here
The first-ever assessment of the climate commitments and action of eight major supermarkets across four Asian countries—Singapore, China, Japan, and South Korea—by global environmental organization Mighty Earth, finds Singaporean supermarket FairPrice Group at the very bottom of the table. FairPrice Group scored zero points from 20 indicators across six categories, reflecting a total absence of action on climate pollution and failing to support the plant-based transition, in a city-state at the cutting edge of the alternative protein industry.
The analysis examines the supermarkets’ climate commitments in the context of rising meat consumption in Asia – a key driver of the superheater greenhouse gas methane. Livestock agriculture accounts for approximately 32% of human-caused methane emissions, and the sector is the single biggest driver of rising agricultural methane emissions globally. The report highlights the failure of Asian retailers to address methane emissions in their meat and dairy supply chains, despite the sector’s substantial climate impact in the region.
The retailers analyzed in the report are DFI Retail Group and Sun Art Retail Group Limited in China and Hong Kong; Walmart in China; AEON and Seven & i in Japan, Emart Inc. and Lotte Shopping in South Korea; and FairPrice Group in Singapore.
The very bottom for Singaporean retailer
As a low-lying and densely populated country, Singapore is already facing the impacts of global heating through rising temperatures and increased rainfall and flooding. However, FairPrice appears out of step with the robust regulatory backdrop emerging in Singapore, mandating emissions reporting and the country’s net-zero 2050 commitment.
By ignoring the impact of those emissions in global supply chains, FairPrice Group displays a complete lack of ambition, hence its position at the bottom of the table.
Alternative proteins and the Singapore anomaly
The alternative proteins market in Asia is projected to grow rapidly, with Singapore firmly established as a global hub for plant-based, fermentation, and cultivated meat products. It’s estimated Singapore is home to around 70 alternative protein start-ups, yet the study found its leading supermarket, FairPrice Group, is failing to participate in this expanding market and support consumers in the shift to diets with more plants, which is critical to reduce emissions driven by the food system. It is projected that if alternative proteins rise to 11% of the protein market by 2035, they can slash greenhouse gas emissions on a scale roughly equal to decarbonizing the entire aviation industry.
Meihua Piao, East Asia Manager for Mighty Earth, said:
“Singapore has a world-class reputation as the global hub for alternative protein innovation, which begs the question why its top supermarket, FairPrice Group, is devoid of any plans to support the plant-based transition.”
“Singapore’s leadership in developing alternative proteins must extend to supermarket shelves. For FairPrice Group, that means supporting the alt protein companies on its doorstep, setting plant-based targets, and getting to grips with the global shift to diets with more plants.”
“Transparent reporting is also a critical first step that all Asian retailers must take to address methane pollution in meat, dairy, and rice supply chains. Rapidly cutting methane is one of the fastest ways to put the brakes on global warming and to lessen the extreme climate impacts that the region is already experiencing.”
Singapore’s climate commitments
Singapore is a signatory of the Global Methane Pledge, a voluntary commitment launched at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, and has committed to reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030 to help limit global warming to 1.5°C. Singapore is also transitioning to mandatory climate disclosure, adopting a phased approach, and has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
Other key findings:
- Japan’s AEON ranked highest overall yet earned just 20.5 out of 100, less than a quarter of the totalpoints available.
- While AEON was the only retailer to acknowledge the climate impact of methane from livestock publicly, it has yet to implement specific, measurable actions to reduce emissions.
- Methane emissions from livestock agriculture and rice cultivation, which are highly significant in the Asian growing marketplace, remain largely unaddressed by the retailers assessed by Mighty Earth.
- Not a single retailer has a publicly available deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) policy, despite the significant impacts of deforestation on climate and nature, driven by meat and dairy production.
Asia’s methane problem
Methane is a short-lived but super-polluting greenhouse gas that is roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year-period, making rapid cuts to methane emissions one of the fastest levers to slow near-term warming.
In 2023, methane emissions from Asia reached approximately 4.58 billion tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). With the region warming at roughly twice the global average, climate impacts are already being felt across economies, ecosystems, and societies.
Beef is the single biggest driver of agricultural methane emissions globally and is the second most widely consumed red meat in Asia after pork. According to the FAO/OECD, meat and seafood consumption in Asia is set to rise by 78% by 2050.
In short, growing meat and dairy consumption is driving Asia’s methane emissions.
Asia accounts for approximately 90% of global rice production and consumption, with methane emissions from rice cultivation representing a major and persistent climate challenge in the region. Globally, approximately 60 million tons of methane is emitted each year from rice production — around 10% of global anthropogenic methane emissions.
Action by Asian retailers
Mighty Earth is calling on the eight Asian retailers to take immediate action, starting with greater transparency in climate reporting, including disclosure of methane emissions from meat, dairy, and rice products. As part of this work, companies must:
- Acknowledge methane’s major role in their emissions profiles and climate change plans and raise consumer awareness of this important issue.
- Set methane reduction targets in line with the Global Methane Pledge of 30% reduction by 2030.
- Support a transition to plant-based diets by setting a target to achieve at least 60% plant-based and 40% animal-based sales ratio by 2030.
Ends
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Meihua Piao, East Asia Manager (based in Tokyo)
Carole Mitchell, Global Director of Communications
Sydney Jones, Press Secretary
+1 561 809 5522
ends
Notes to editors:
Methodology:
The assessment of the eight retailers relies exclusively on public disclosures, including company reports, websites, and the SBTi commitment database; no confidential or proprietary data was used. It assesses transparency rather than on-the-ground implementation, treating public disclosure as a core measure of accountability.
- The analysis evaluates eight of Asia’s key supermarkets on their climate disclosure and methane emissions. The retailers included in this scorecard were selected based on their yearly revenue, volume of grocery sales, and overall market dominance in the food retailer sector. These retailers were evaluated on 20 indicators across six categories, with the research conducted between December 1, 2025, and January 15, 2026.
- Where applicable, the analysis focused on the recent climate-related disclosure published on retailers’ websites. The sole exception was Indicator 3.4, which also drew data from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) commitment database.
- The total score is 100 points, distributed among 20 indicators. Each indicator was scored on a three-tier scale: full points, half points, or zero points. Indicators were weighted differently, with each assigned a specific score based on its related importance and its potential impact on a retailer’s methane emissions and overall climate accountability.
About Mighty Earth
Mighty Earth is a global advocacy organization working to defend a living planet. Our goal is to protect Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish. We are obsessed with impact, and our team has achieved transformative change by persuading leading industries to dramatically reduce deforestation and climate pollution throughout their global supply chains in palm oil, rubber, cocoa, and animal feed, while improving livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities across the tropics.
