Breastfeeding and environmental sustainability:

Why breastfeeding is good for the environment, as opposed to the environmental harms of commercial milk formulas.

Dr Arun Gupta MD, FIAP

Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India(BPNI)

International Baby Food Action Network(IBFAN) South Asia

September 9, 2021

@ Breastfeeding: Where Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Begin (webinar and dialogue)

• Role of BPNI and International Baby Food Action Network(IBFAN) in protecting Breastfeeding

• Silence on the risks of formula feeding

• How formula is a disaster for health and environment, – Fuel, water, waste products

– And Breastfeeding protects the environment.

• What is the State of policy and programmes that support breastfeeding and control marketing of formula?

• What can be done to lower down the risks?

• Recommendations for research, policy and networks

Overview

• IBFAN is working on protection of breastfeeding ever since 1979, grown from 6 individuals to groups 160 countries, central to its work is implementing the International Code of Marketing for Breastmilk Substitutes and conflicts of interests. www.ibfan.org

• BPNI is South Asia regional coordinating office and been working in India since 1991 on protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. www.bpni.org

• World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative( WBTi), is BPNI’s global initiative building a repository of policy and programmes worldwide. https://www.worldbreastfeedingtrends.org/

• 2016 BPNI took the lead in study of Carbon Footprints of formula feeding in 6 countries

Role of International Baby Food Action Network(IBFAN) and BPNI

How formula is a disaster for health and environment?

Why Silence?

• Fear to naming formula to the way the evil overlord Voldemort is treated in the Harry Potter novels.

• 80 authoritative studies, formula-fed babies tend to be at higher risk of poor health than children fed on breast milk,"

• "Yet the vast majority of these studies did not mention formula feeding in the places that matter most for lasting impressions: headlines and abstracts.”

•

Why Breastfeeding is Planet Friendly?

• Fulfills child’s right of highest attainable standard of health, and right to food and nutrition, food security during first 2 years.

• Almost guarantees child survival, healthy growth and development

• Makes sound ecological sense like a ‘Tree’ contributes to sustainability of food systems.

• AND FORMULA IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE , UNHEALTHY, ULTRA_PROCESSED NOT SUSTAINABLE

BPNI-IBFAN Reports

This ground-breaking study in 2016 showed emissions from just six Asia Pacific

countries

BMJ Highlights in 2019

Results: GHG emissions (kg CO2 eq) per kg of milk formula

Possible Combinations of ingredients

Calculation of GHG emissions for a particular combination

Average GHG emissions for each category of milk formula

Standard Milk Formula/Special milk formula 3.95 kg Co2 eq per kg

FU milk formula/toddler’s milk formula 4.04 kg Co2 eq per kg

• Each kilogram (kg) of milk formula generated 4 kg of (carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent) greenhouse gas during production.

• Over 2.8 million Tonnes of CO2 are produced from the 0.72 million Tonnes of infant formula sold yearly in just six countries.

• Equivalent to 6 billion miles of car travel.

The Carbon Footprint

While breastfeeding is Zero Waste does not need resources like plastic, metal, fuel, sterilization, transport, look at what Formula adds:

• 550 million cans of formula

• 86000 tons of metal

• 364000 Tonnes of paper

All this pollutes our environment

Waste Pollutes the Planet

• Average Water Foot print of whole cows milk is 940 L/kg

• One kilogram of milk gives about 200 g of milk powder.

• Water footprint of milk powder alone ~4700 L/kg.

The Water Footprint

What is the State of policy and programmes that support breastfeeding and control marketing of baby foods?

World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative( WBTi), Results from 84 Countries

Policy Scores out of 10

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30538269/

98 Countries –How they Stand ?

Green, 2

Blue, 40

Yellow, 53

Red, 3

Funding for Interventions

How International Code of Marketing for Breastmilk Substitutes is implemented?

The State of BFHI

Maternity Leave (Paid)

How Countries Monitor ?

Resultant Practices(WBTi 84 Countries)

Possible to Change

• Count Breastfeeding as the First Food System

• Talk more about environment impact and link with environment groups.

• Funding is critical to increase breastfeeding rates and control marketing of baby foods-ensure through a strong resolution at World Health Assembly ($5 per child born and additional funds for maternity protection)

• Research on environment impact formula feeding at national level may help in advocacy.

What can be done?

Thank you!!