This is the way we "deal" with most problems. We say "butwhatabout" [insert something else here], which is a great excuse to do nothing. It's callet "whataboutism" and will quite likely eradicate humanity within the next hundred years or so, as we destroy our planet, all the while saying "butwhatabout" and pointing fingers.
On the other hand, we have "feel good solutions" like banning plastic straws, so people can pat themselves on the back for helping to solve the problems.
If you don’t drink milk, why do you need a substitute? A substitute that comes in difficult to recycle aluminium-paper-plastic laminated cartons that still contain most of the food-miles and process / handling carbon emissions.
Ok, hipocricy is everywhere and we can’t all be angels over night.
Those aren't called milk because they're a substitute for anything, they're called milk because that's the English word for a cloudy translucent liquid. See also milk glass, milk thistle, and milk of magnesia.
Speaking for myself, I drink almond milk because it tastes better than cow milk.
I don't know anyone who drinks non-dairy milks for concerns over carbon emissions. It's always been one of or a mix of dietary concerns, taste preference, or avoidance of the awful dairy industry.
Also, where I live, dairy comes in those tetrapaks, too.
So? Skim milk tastes nothing like full fat milk, but still has a right to exist.
It's something sorta similar to milk that can be used in roughly the same applications - lighten coffee, moisten cereal, baking, sauces, fold into mashed potatoes, etc.
I prefer the taste of pretty much all nut milks to cows milk, personally.
