Fatty acids: Emissions
Why the plantation's soil matters more than the factory
Why the plantation's soil matters more than the factory What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint per tonne, split by lifecycle phase (feedstock, production, movement, use, end of life), the global total, other environmental impacts, levers and low-carbon routes, India's position, and where the investment opportunity lies. Emission intensity 3.50 t CO2e per t range about 2-4.5 from palm oil on mineral soils with mill methane capture; above 8-15 for oil from recently drained peat; tallow and tall oil lower (indicative) · indicative, built from palm oil footprints (about 2-4 t CO2e per t on mineral soils; 7.3 global mean including land-use change) plus about 0.3-0.5 t for splitting and distillation Global emissions per year 41.0 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · 3.5 t/t x 11.7 Mt (indicative)Per t of fatty acids, cradle-to-gate, mass allocation with glycerine. Intensity: palm_oil tile (Poore & Nemecek 2018; Alcock et al. 2022); Shah et al. 2016 via surfactants tile (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 85% Production / process 12% Movement 3%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 3.0 t CO2e/t | 85% | palm cultivation, land-use change, mill effluent methane, fertiliser | dominant; deforestation-free and methane-capture oil cuts it sharply | palm_oil tile (indicative) |
| Production / process | about 0.4 t CO2e/t | 12% | steam for splitting and distillation (often coal or gas boilers) | biomass boilers on palm shells are common in Indonesia (indicative) | indicative |
| Movement | about 0.1 t CO2e/t | 3% | shipping from South-East Asia | indicative | |
| Use | not applicable | – | most uses are non-emissive; soaps go down the drain | not applicable | |
| End of life | biogenic carbon | – | biodegradation in wastewater, incineration with plastics or tyres | carbon released is biogenic, unlike petro-based equivalents | indicative |
Other environmental impacts
Deforestation and peatland loss linked to palm expansion, biodiversity and labour issues; wastewater from splitting; nickel catalyst residues from hydrogenation.
Levers to cut emissions
- Deforestation-free and RSPO-certified oil
- Methane capture at palm oil mills
- Biomass or electric boilers for splitting and distillation
- Tallow, tall oil and waste fats as feed
India
India's fatty acid footprint is mostly embedded in imported palm and palm kernel oil; no Indian life-cycle data were found.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.Low-carbon routes
| Route | Intensity | Cost premium | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatty acids from certified oil on existing cropland with mill methane capture | can approach about 2 t CO2e/t or lower (indicative) | certification premiums (indicative) | offered by major palm groups under mass balance (indicative) | indicative |