Oatly, the world's largest oat milk producer, is using its milk cartons to promote a message that most people worldwide want their governments to take stronger action against climate change.
The Swedish company's cartons carry messages from the “89 Percent Project,” a campaign launched by Covering Climate Now, a global journalism nonprofit.
News organizations have traditionally avoided joining organized advocacy campaigns. However, the project has attracted growing support from media outlets that have highlighted research showing that between 80% and 89% of people worldwide want their governments to address climate change.
Oatly first introduced the new cartons in Sweden before expanding the campaign to other European countries, including Belgium and Germany. The cartons are expected to reach US stores by January, said Caroline Reid, the company's senior sustainability director.
“Companies should be taking much more responsibility, not only in reducing their own environmental footprint, but really working out how they can use their platform to drive a positive future,” Reid said at an event during New York Climate Week last week.
Behind the '89 Percent Project'
Covering Climate Now produces climate stories and supports climate journalism through training programs, newsroom partnerships and journalism awards. It launched the “89 Percent Project” last year as a global collaborative journalism initiative.
The project takes its name from a 2024 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change. The study surveyed nearly 130,000 people in 125 countries and found that 89% wanted stronger political action on climate change.
Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of Covering Climate Now, said many people who support climate action do not realize they are part of a “silent majority.”
The project initially partnered with media organizations including The Guardian, Agence France-Presse and El País.
In April, Japanese television stations announced plans to broadcast messages over the next two years highlighting public support for stronger climate action. In June, 136 Japanese news organizations also began sharing similar messages through social media, news releases and other public platforms.
Several US polls and studies have also found broad public support for greater government action on climate change.
A 2022 poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believed the federal government was not doing enough to address climate change.
Another 2022 study published in Nature Communications, based on responses from more than 6,000 Americans, found that people generally underestimated how many others supported major climate policies and were concerned about climate change.
The study found that 66% to 80% of Americans supported such policies, while Americans estimated that only 37% to 43% did.
“We felt that we, and our fellow journalists, were really missing the story here,” Hertsgaard said, arguing that news coverage was overlooking the broad public support for climate action.
Oatly promotes climate message
Oatly's campaign is relatively subtle. The cartons feature two text boxes on one side.
The smaller box says, “Politicians! These eleven words represent people not interested in climate action.” A larger box contains an 89-word message arguing that most people want governments to act on climate change and that stronger action could also bring political benefits.
Reid said she first learned about the project through The Guardian. She said the campaign fits with Oatly's effort to encourage consumers to consider alternatives to cow's milk.
She added that businesses, political parties and other organizations can contribute to efforts to reach net-zero emissions, in which greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere are balanced by the amount removed.
Debate over journalism and advocacy
The project comes as some organizations have taken stronger positions on climate change and policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
President Donald Trump has criticized climate change policies, including efforts to shift toward renewable energy such as wind and solar. During the 2025 UN General Assembly, Trump described climate change as a “con job” and renewable energy as the “Green Scam.”
Covering Climate Now's campaign has raised questions about the line between journalism and advocacy.
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said the financial difficulties facing traditional news organizations had contributed to the growth of independent journalism outside traditional media norms.
“There is plenty of room for advocacy in journalism,” Stern said.
Clay Calvert, a University of Florida expert on the First Amendment and freedom of expression, said partnerships between journalism organizations and companies could create risks.
He said news organizations could censor criticism of corporate partners or give those companies favorable coverage.
“There really needs to be a wall of separation in any newsroom between the interests of the journalism entity, including its readers and viewers, and those of its corporate partners,” Calvert said.
Hertsgaard said no money had changed hands between Covering Climate Now and Oatly, describing the company as an “ally.”
“As a journalist, I feel like we have to have the courage to not just report the facts, but to draw the connections,” he said. “Now, if that amounts to advocacy, then that's an advocacy I'm comfortable with.”