Welcome to the inaugural edition of our monthly ClimateHub Carbon Report. We eagerly anticipate your feedback on this new venture. We are keen to understand your interests surrounding our data and what information you find most valuable. The primary objective of this report is to delve into the data available on ClimateHub, focusing specifically on three climate footprint reports in may 2024 and offering insights into the underlying data.
Our data serves as a valuable tool for stakeholders in the food and beverage industry, enabling them to evaluate the climate footprint of their products in line with ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard. That said, this topic is beyond the scope of this report.
TOP 10 Climate Footprints in May 2024
Let’s delve into our data and examine the top 10 climate footprint reports for May 2024. The most frequently searched Climate Footprint Reports for this period are as follows:
- Water, 1L PET bottle – 0.2849 kg CO₂e/kg
- Wheat flour – 0.7964 kg CO₂e/kg
- Calcium carbonate (CaCO3). E170 – 0.3 kg CO₂e/kg
- Nitrogen (liquid N2). E941 – 0.03466 kg CO₂e/kg
- Silicon dioxide. E551 – 5 kg CO₂e/kg
- Whey protein, 80% protein – 8.825 kg CO₂e/kg
- Salt (NaCl) – 0.06345 kg CO₂e/kg
- Sodium hydroxide (NaOH). E524 – 1.12 kg CO₂e/kg
- Butter, 80% fat, unsalted – 16.92 kg CO₂e/kg
- Plastic container, HDPE, fossil based – 7.037 kg CO₂e/kg
Among these reports, we will be focusing more specifically on three products: wheat flour, butter, and plastic containers, to provide a more detailed analysis of their climate footprints.
Plastic container, HDPE, fossil based
Let’s take a closer look at the climate footprints of fossil-based plastic containers sourced from various markets. It’s interesting to note that these containers from Canada have the lowest climate footprint, clocking in at 5.17 kg CO₂e/kg. In contrast, the same containers from Australia present the highest climate footprint, reaching up to 7.04 kg CO₂e/kg.
You may be curious as to why a plastic container from Canada exhibits a lower climate footprint than its counterpart from Australia. To comprehend this, it’s important to dissect the data for each product.
At ClimateHub, we provide a detailed breakdown of data for every item, including aspects such as packaging, storage, processing, transport, fossil resource utilization, agriculture, and occasionally, unattributable activities that don’t fit into any other category.
Taking the example of the plastic containers, we find that the climate impact of fossil material extraction and use in Australia accounts for 44.66% of the total, while in Canada, it’s slightly higher at 60.75%. However, the climate impact of fossil resources is identical for both, at 3.143 kg CO₂e/kg.
Transport data also varies, contributing 0.27% to the total emissions in Canada and 0.20% in Australia, yet resulting in the same climate impact of 0.01421 kg CO₂e/kg.
The major discrepancy lies in the processing steps during production. The Canadian plastic container has a climate impact of 2.016 kg CO₂e/kg, whereas its Australian counterpart has a significantly higher impact of 3.88 kg CO₂e/kg. This variation in processing emissions explains the differing climate footprints observed for these two containers.
By presenting such detailed and comprehensive data, ClimateHub enables businesses to make informed decisions regarding their product choices and the accompanying carbon footprints.
Butter, 80% fat
When searching for the climate footprint of butter with 80% fat, our coverage expands to even more countries. Over 20 products, at either factory or store level, from different countries can be found on ClimateHub. Notably, butter with 80% fat from France exhibits the lowest climate footprint at 11.65 kg CO₂e/kg. On the other end of the scale, butter from Australia shows the highest climate footprint, soaring to 19.55 kg CO₂e/kg.
To understand why the climate footprints of two similar products can vary so significantly, we must delve into the detailed data of each. Comparing the fundamental activities, the most prominent difference between Australian and French butter is at the agricultural stage. The Australian butter shows a climate impact of 17.88 kg CO₂e/kg, while the French butter shows a lower impact of 11.42 kg CO₂e/kg.
For those looking to better understand a product’s climate footprint, ClimateHub allows you to go a level deeper and scrutinize the climate impact of each individual ingredient. In this instance, we can examine the ‘Cream 40% fat at separator’ from Australia or France, which allows us to see a detailed breakdown of the emission factor.
ClimateHub’s capabilities can take this analysis even further. By going another level deeper into the data, we can explore the emission factors of ingredients like the ‘milk from farmgate’. By comparing these detailed breakdowns, we gain a clearer understanding of why the emission factors vary between similar products.
Using the example of butter from Australia and France, we demonstrated how ClimateHub allows you to deep dive into the data, exploring the climate impact at every stage of the product’s life cycle.
We also highlighted how you can delve even deeper, examining the climate impact of individual ingredients, such as the ‘Cream 40% fat at separator’, and further still, the ‘milk from farmgate’. This level of detail is unparalleled, offering clarity on why emission factors can vary even between similar products.
The ability to dissect and analyze a product’s climate footprint to this degree is a game-changer, empowering businesses to make informed decisions that can significantly reduce their environmental impact.
Wheat flour
In ClimateHub, you can compare the climate footprint of 20+ wheat flour products from different countries. The source of the wheat flour can significantly impact its climate footprint. For instance, wheat flour from Belgium exhibits the lowest climate footprint at 0.62 kg CO₂e/kg, while wheat flour from Finland registers the highest at 1.72 kg CO₂e/kg.
If you’re interested in understanding why the climate footprint varies between countries, you can delve deeper into our database. The climate assessment in ClimateHub covers emissions from Agriculture, Transport, Refinement, Packaging, Storage, Waste & By-products, offering a comprehensive view of each product’s environmental impact.
When analyzing the climate footprint of a product such as wheat flour, the composition and origin of the ingredients play a significant role. Let’s consider wheat flour from Finland, which uses locally sourced wheat. In contrast, the wheat flour from Belgium comprises wheat from four different countries. This difference in sourcing contributes to the variations in their climate footprints.
To unpack this further, we can delve deeper into the data, comparing the footprints of wheat at the farm level in Finland and, for instance, Germany. Measuring the climate footprint of a crop at the farm gate involves complex, multi-parameter calculations. To assist with this, CarbonCloud has developed an agricultural dataset that synthesizes credible activity and parameter information into understandable farm-gate climate footprints.
This agricultural dataset allows users to compare activities and greenhouse gas emissions from crop to crop. As these can vary significantly due to factors such as deforestation, farming on drained wetlands, pesticide production, and others, this dataset offers invaluable insights.
In addition to this breakdown, the technical report offers further in-depth information on the activity data, providing a comprehensive view of the climate footprint.
The examples highlighted represent just a fraction of the comprehensive activity data we are capable of displaying.
ClimateHub is a crucial partner for stakeholders from the food & beverage industry aiming to understand and reduce their environmental impact. Offering over 55,000 emission factors and related information for a wide range of food products, we equip companies with the data essential for calculating product carbon footprints, CSRD, and setting Science Based Targets (SBTi).
In today’s world, it’s not just about what businesses produce, but how they produce it. From sourcing raw materials to product delivery, every step has a climate impact. With ClimateHub, companies can navigate this complex landscape with ease, making sustainable decisions that not only benefit the bottom line but also contribute to a healthier planet.
