The carbon footprint of coffee, powder, instant
Coffee, powder, instant emits about 5.989 kg CO₂e per 1 kg of prepared product. Below is where that figure actually comes from — every stage of the chain, not a single headline number.
Where the carbon comes from
- Processing
- 5.374 kg
- 90%
- Turning the raw product into food: milling, refining, slaughter, curing.
- Transport
- 0.516 kg
- 9%
- Moving it from farm to processor to shop.
- Packaging
- 0.099 kg
- 2%
- Producing the packaging it reaches you in.
Lower-carbon alternatives
Each emits less than half as much as coffee, powder, instant.
Similar products
Common questions
- How much CO2 does coffee, powder, instant produce?
- About 5.989 kg CO₂e per 1 kg of prepared product, measured across the supply chain. That is roughly the same as driving 35 km in an average petrol car.
- What drives the footprint of coffee, powder, instant?
- Processing is the largest contributor at 5.374 kg CO₂e, about 90% of the total. Transport is only 0.516 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 Agribalyse (ADEME).
Figures from the WRAP UK Food & Drink Emission Factor Database v2.0, which aggregates published life-cycle assessments; this product's data originates from Agribalyse (ADEME), for France. 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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