Cow's milk vs Soy milk
Fortified soy milk is the closest nutritional analogue to cow's milk and is the plant milk used as the reference in most dietary guidelines for children over one year.
Per per litre
Greenhouse gaseskg CO₂e / L
Cow's milk
3.2
Soy milk
1
Land usem² / L
Cow's milk
9
Soy milk
0.7
Proteing / 100 ml
Cow's milk
3.4
Soy milk
3.3
Saturated fatg / 100 ml
Cow's milk
1.9
Soy milk
0.3
Source: Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science · Our World in Data · USDA FoodData Central
Verdict
Soy milk is the only common plant milk that matches dairy protein — at a third of the emissions.
Questions people ask
Is soy milk safe for children?
Fortified soy milk is recognised by major paediatric bodies as a suitable dairy alternative from age one onwards.