Agro-food systems re-localization may be associated to re-embedding food products and/or re-creating local food chains. It is often considered as a vehicle for sustainable rural development. Two main forms of initiatives emerge from studies on food systems re-localization: (i) initiatives that use geographical origin to differentiate products by linking the products quality to the specific conditions of production in a territory; (ii) initiatives that aim at re-creating socio-spatial proximity between producers and consumers by developing short marketing chains. These initiatives often aim at strengthening farmers’ position in food chains and providing a better return to them. They may also be presented as ways to support more environmentally-sustainable agro-food systems (biodiversity protection, upkeep and protection of meadows and landscape …). However, depending on initiatives, environmental issues are considered and more or less put forward by stakeholders. Moreover, consideration regarding these environmental issues may evolve in time. This paper aims at analyzing the place that environmental issues may hold in re-localization initiatives for agro-food systems associated to livestock farming. Which are these environmental issues? To which geographic areas are they associated? Which weight do stakeholders give to them? How do they evolve regarding the different stages of the initiatives? We compared several collective initiatives developed in different countries (Brazil, France, Morocco and Senegal). They all aim at improving marketing of animal food products and ensure a better return to farmers by re-localization. This study shows how the roots of this kind of initiatives and the way they consider environmental issues may vary in different socio-economic contexts. This research focuses on collective initiatives which involve different types of stakeholders (farmers, processors, retailers, institutions). It allows observing how the different stakeholders may take up environmental issues. It allows discussing the part that some stakeholders, other than farmers, may take in promoting and supporting more ecological practices.