# Coconut oil: Emissions

A popular oil with no published footprint

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/emissions/

What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions.

Per t of coconut oil; cradle-to-gate. Intensity: not found. Global total: not found.

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Extraction** | not quantified | – | smallholder palms with little fertiliser; little recent land clearing | old, low-input groves suggest a low farm footprint, but no published figure was found | indicative |
| **Refining / processing** | not quantified | – | drying copra over husk and shell fires or in kilns; expeller pressing; refining | smoke-dried copra is cheap but lowers oil quality | indicative |
| **Movement** | not quantified | – | inter-island shipping in the Philippines and Indonesia; tankers to Europe |  | indicative |
| **Usage** | not in the boundary | – | cooking, soaps, oleochemicals, hair oil |  | not quantified |
| **Recycling / end of life** | not applicable as recycling; residues fully used | – | husks to coir, shells to charcoal and activated carbon, copra meal to feed | almost every part of the nut is used | content of this tile |

#### Other environmental impacts

Coconut groves are long-lived tree systems with low inputs. Biodiversity concerns arise mainly where new plantations clear forest on Pacific islands.

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Efficient copra dryers using husks and shells instead of open smoke drying
- Replanting old groves to raise yield per hectare
- Full use of husks and shells to displace fossil fuels

#### India

India's coconut comes from 2.19 Mha of smallholder groves in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and husks feed a large coir industry; no Indian footprint figure was found (Ministry of Agriculture 2024-25).
 Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coconut/links/index.md)