PET resin: Emissions
Most of the carbon is in the PTA and MEG
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 2.20 t CO2e per t range about 1.9-2.6 (indicative; higher with coal-based MEG) · 0.86 t PTA x 1.3 t CO2e per t (PTA tile) + 0.335 t MEG x 2.2 t CO2e per t (MEG tile) + about 0.3 t for polycondensation and SSP Global emissions per year 62.0 Mt CO2e per year 2024-2025 · about 2.2 t x about 28 Mt (indicative)Per t of bottle-grade PET resin, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: derived from PTA and MEG tiles; consistent with the Plastics Europe PET bottle-grade eco-profile of about 2.2 t (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 84% Production / process 14% Movement 2%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 1.85 t CO2e per t (PTA about 1.1, MEG about 0.75) | 84% | PX aromatics complexes, PTA oxidation, ethylene oxide and coal-based MEG | Chinese coal-MEG raises this | PTA and MEG tiles (indicative) |
| Production / process | about 0.3 t CO2e per t | 14% | Heat for esterification, polycondensation and SSP; power | Melt-to-resin plants use less energy than SSP plants (indicative) | indicative |
| Movement | about 0.05 t CO2e per t | 2% | Container shipping of chips | small | indicative |
| Use | not applicable | – | No direct emissions | Lighter than glass, so less transport CO2 per litre delivered (indicative) | n/a |
| End of life | about 2.3 t CO2 per t if incinerated; about 0.4-0.6 t CO2e per t of waste mechanically recycled | – | Collection systems, deposit schemes, food-contact approval | PET bottles are the most recycled plastic packaging, but much rPET is downcycled into fibre rather than bottles. Globally only about 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2019; about 19% was incinerated, about 50% landfilled and 22% mismanaged (indicative, OECD Global Plastics Outlook 2022). Ellen MacArthur Foundation (New Plastics Economy, 2016): about 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling worldwide (indicative). | stoichiometric; OECD 2022 and EMF 2016 (indicative); RSC Green Chem 2024 |
Other environmental impacts
Bottle litter on coasts and rivers; microplastics; antimony in the resin. Collection in India relies heavily on informal waste pickers, which raises labour and traceability issues (Drishti IAS 2026).
Levers to cut emissions
- Bottle-to-bottle rPET: about 0.4-0.6 t CO2e per t versus 2.2 t for virgin (RSC Green Chem 2024; indicative); EU requires 25% rPET in PET bottles from 2025 and India 30-60% in rigid packaging.
- Lightweighting: thinner preforms and caps cut resin per bottle (indicative).
- Decarbonise PTA and MEG (about 84% of footprint): renewable power and heat at PTA plants, low-carbon ethylene, phasing out coal-MEG.
- Bio-MEG PET (up to 30% bio-based by mass) from sugarcane or molasses ethanol, e.g. India Glycols (MEG tile).
- Deposit-return schemes to raise collection quality; a Recykal pilot in Uttarakhand recovered about 1.63 lakh bottles (Drishti IAS 2026).
India
India's PET is made from domestic PTA and MEG at integrated sites (Reliance) with coal-heavy power (indicative). The bigger climate story is recycling: high informal collection of bottles plus EPR mandates and FSSAI approvals are building a food-grade rPET industry, though supply of about 300,000 t/yr only just matches mandate demand (Procurement Resource 2026; Readon 2026).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical food-grade rPET | about 0.4-0.6 t CO2e per t (indicative) | often above virgin when mandates bind; Indian flake rose to over Rs 55/kg in FY25 (Readon) | India about 200,000-300,000 t/yr approved (2026); Ganesha Ecosphere expanding to 132 kt by FY27 | Readon Jan 2026; Procurement Resource Mar 2026 |
| Chemical depolymerisation (glycolysis, methanolysis, enzymatic) | lower than virgin; varies by route (indicative) | high (indicative) | first-of-a-kind plants in Europe and the US; several delayed (indicative) | indicative |
| Bio-PET (bio-MEG) and PEF | lower cradle-to-gate (indicative) | significant (indicative) | India Glycols bio-MEG at Kashipur (MEG tile); PEF at demonstration scale (indicative) | MEG tile; indicative |