# Organic pigments: Emissions

Why steam and solvents dominate a pigment's carbon footprint

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/emissions/

Why steam and solvents dominate a pigment's carbon footprint 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 8.00 t CO2e per t range about 4-20 · batch fine-chemical synthesis with solvent finishing; CPC blue at the low end, multi-step high-performance pigments higher; no public product LCAs found Global emissions per year 3.20 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 8 t x 400 kt (indicative)

Per t of pigment, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: indicative (basis: typical multi-step fine chemical footprints). Global total: derived (indicative).

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Feedstock 45% Production / process 50% Movement 5%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Feedstock** | about 3.5 t CO2e per t | 45% | aromatic intermediates, phthalic anhydride, copper, urea, solvents |  | indicative |
| **Production / process** | about 4 t CO2e per t | 50% | steam and heat for synthesis, solvent treatment, drying and milling; effluent treatment | coal-based steam common in Gujarat and China (indicative) | indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.4 t CO2e per t | 5% | container shipping over long distances |  | indicative |
| **Use** | small | – | dispersion energy at ink, paint and plastics makers | pigments are used at low loadings (often 0.1-5%), so their footprint per product is small | indicative |
| **End of life** | small | – | stays with plastics, paint or printed paper; de-inking of paper | pigments can complicate plastics recycling by colour | indicative |

#### Other environmental impacts

Effluent with copper and chlorinated organics from phthalocyanine making; trace PCBs in some azo pigments; mica supply-chain labour risk for effect pigments.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Clean steam and electrified drying at pigment plants
- Solvent recovery and continuous processing
- Higher-strength pigments that need lower loadings
- Bio-based intermediates (e.g. bio-based succinic for DPP) (indicative)
- Synthetic mica substrates to avoid mined mica

#### India

No pigment footprint is published for India; plants in Gujarat and Maharashtra mostly use fossil steam (indicative).
 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Bio-attributed or partly bio-based organic pigments** | not published | not published | offered by some producers (indicative) | indicative |

 For a climate investor Pigments are a small emitter; the opportunity is consolidation and supply-chain diversification away from China, with cleaner process energy at Indian plants. Sudarshan-Heubach is the test case: what has to be true is a return to 10%+ EBITDA margins as Heubach integration completes (FY28-29 target EUR 90-100 million EBITDA).

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/pigments/links/index.md)