The carbon footprint of cassava and other roots
Cassava and Other Roots emits about 0.948 kg CO₂e per 1 kg of soil free tuber. Below is where that figure actually comes from — every stage of the chain, not a single headline number.
Where the carbon comes from
- Land Use Change
- 0.589 kg
- 62%
- Carbon released when forest or grassland is cleared to produce it.
- Farm
- 0.22 kg
- 23%
- Emissions on the farm itself — livestock methane, fertiliser, fuel, manure.
- Transport
- 0.094 kg
- 10%
- Moving it from farm to processor to shop.
- Packaging
- 0.045 kg
- 5%
- Producing the packaging it reaches you in.
Lower-carbon alternatives
Each emits less than half as much as cassava and other roots.
Similar products
Common questions
- How much CO2 does cassava and other roots produce?
- About 0.948 kg CO₂e per 1 kg of soil free tuber, measured across the supply chain. That is roughly the same as driving 6 km in an average petrol car.
- What drives the footprint of cassava and other roots?
- Land Use Change is the largest contributor at 0.589 kg CO₂e, about 62% of the total. Transport is only 0.094 kg — which is why what you eat matters far more than how far it travelled.
- Where does this data come from?
- The WRAP UK Food & Drink Emission Factor Database v2.0, which aggregates peer-reviewed life-cycle assessments. This product's figures come from Poore & Nemecek (2018).
Figures from the WRAP UK Food & Drink Emission Factor Database v2.0, which aggregates published life-cycle assessments; this product's data originates from Poore & Nemecek (2018), for global. Real values vary by farm, region and method — treat these as the shape of the problem, not a measurement of any one item on your shelf.
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