February 10, 2026

The environmental impact of butter vs vegetable oils

France is the world's largest butter consumer. But behind this everyday product lies a considerable environmental cost. Carbon footprint, water consumption, land use: here is what the numbers say — and why switching to vegetable oils makes a real difference.

Carbon footprint: a major gap

Producing 1 kg of butter generates approximately 12 kg of CO₂ equivalent. It is one of the highest-emitting foods in terms of greenhouse gases, because it takes roughly 22 liters of milk to make 1 kg of butter — and therefore the entire dairy farming chain is involved: feeding the cows, methane from rumination, transportation, processing.

By comparison, producing 1 liter of sunflower or rapeseed oil emits approximately 1.5 to 3 kg of CO₂ equivalent. That is 4 to 8 times less than butter.

Water consumption

Dairy farming is very water-intensive. Producing 1 kg of butter requires approximately 5,500 liters of water (drinking water, irrigation of fodder crops, cleaning). For 1 liter of sunflower oil, the figure is around 1,200 liters of water — nearly 5 times less.

Farmland use

Dairy production is one of the most land-hungry sectors. Between pastures and soy/corn crops grown to feed cows, 1 kg of butter mobilizes approximately 15 m² of land. Sunflower and rapeseed crops, far more efficient, require only 2 to 4 m² per liter of oil produced.

These crops also fit easily into French agricultural rotations, contributing to soil fertility and biodiversity (rapeseed and sunflower are excellent nectar-producing plants).

What about palm oil?

Not all vegetable oils are equal. Palm oil, widely used in the food industry, is associated with massive deforestation in Southeast Asia and biodiversity loss. That is why Holéo chooses to use no palm oil whatsoever — only sunflower and rapeseed grown in France or Europe.

Holéo's short supply chain

Holéo goes further than a simple substitution. The entire chain is designed to minimize environmental impact:

• Local raw materials: sunflower and rapeseed oils grown in France or Europe
• Refining at Lapalisse: by the Huilerie de Lapalisse, in a short French supply chain
• On-site flavoring: by Food Ingredients, on the same industrial site
• Local packaging: bottled in Lapalisse (Allier)

This ultra-short supply chain reduces transportation, intermediaries and therefore the product's total carbon footprint.

The environmental comparison

Impact	Butter (1 kg)	Vegetable oil (1 L)
CO₂ equivalent	~12 kg	~2 kg
Water required	~5,500 L	~1,200 L
Farmland	~15 m²	~3 m²
Palm oil	No	No (Holéo)
Biodiversity	Negative impact (farming)	Positive (nectar plants)

Every action counts

Replacing butter with a local, palm-oil-free vegetable oil won't save the planet on its own. But multiplied across millions of households, it is a concrete lever. Choosing Holéo means choosing a product that preserves the taste of butter while significantly reducing its impact on the climate, water and farmland.