The carbon footprint of potatoes, unpackaged
Potatoes, unpackaged emits about 0.086 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.
- Transport
- 0.086 kg
- 100%
- Moving it from farm to processor to shop.
How it is grown changes the number by 22%
These are 5 separately assessed production systems for the same product. Emissions are farm-gate — the part the grower controls — and range from 0.058 to 0.074 kg CO₂e. A label on a shelf almost never tells you which one you are holding.
- Starch potato, conventional, national average, at farm gatelowest0.058
- Ware potato, conventional, variety mix, national average, at farm gate0.063
- Ware potato, conventional, for fresh market, other varieties, at farm gate0.064
- Ware potato, conventional, for industrial use, at farm gate0.064
- Ware potato, conventional, for fresh market, firm flesh varieties, at farm gate0.074
kg CO₂e per 1 kg of soil free tuber, cradle to farm gate. Farm-gate figures exclude processing, packaging and transport, so they sit below the full total above.
Lower-carbon alternatives
Each emits less than half as much as potatoes, unpackaged.
Similar products
Common questions
- How much CO2 does potatoes, unpackaged produce?
- About 0.086 kg CO₂e per 1 kg of soil free tuber, measured across the supply chain. That is roughly the same as driving 1 km in an average petrol car.
- What drives the footprint of potatoes, unpackaged?
- Transport is the largest contributor at 0.086 kg CO₂e, about 100% of the total. Transport is only 0.086 kg — which is why what you eat matters far more than how far it travelled.
- Does how potatoes, unpackaged is produced change its footprint?
- Yes, substantially. Across 5 production methods in this dataset the farm-gate emissions range from 0.058 to 0.074 kg CO₂e — a difference of 22%.
- 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 Foodsteps.
Figures from the WRAP UK Food & Drink Emission Factor Database v2.0, which aggregates published life-cycle assessments; this product's data originates from Foodsteps, for UK. 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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