Eggs: Emissions
Why eggs are among the lowest-carbon animal proteins
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. Emission intensity 4.70 kg CO2e per kg range about 4.5 (median-type value) to 4.7 (global mean) · cradle-to-retail global mean, including land-use change for feed Global emissions per year 190 Mt CO2e per year 2015 · eggs were 3% of 6.2 Gt livestock emissions (by calculation)Per kg of eggs, retail; cradle-to-retail. Intensity: Poore & Nemecek 2018 (Science), via Our World in Data. Global total: FAO 2023, Pathways towards lower emissions (GLEAM 3, ref. year 2015).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 93% Refining / processing 4% Movement 2%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 4.2 kg CO2e/kg (feed 2.2, on-farm 1.3, land-use change 0.7) | 93% | feed crops, fertiliser N2O, manure, shed energy | FAO puts feed at 69% of egg emissions (land-use change 13%, fertiliser N2O 30%) and manure at 20%. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative); FAO 2013, Tackling climate change through livestock (GLEAM, ref. year 2005) |
| Refining / processing | about 0.2 kg CO2e/kg (packaging; grading and processing near zero) | 4% | grading and packing, cartons; pasteurising and drying for egg products | Egg powder needs spray-drying energy, not included in the shell-egg figure. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.1 kg CO2e/kg | 2% | trucking, mostly short distances | Eggs are seldom shipped far. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative) |
| Usage | not quantified in this boundary | – | cooking, refrigeration, waste | About 19% of food available to consumers was wasted in 2022. | UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 (indicative) |
| Recycling / end of life | not applicable as a product | – | shells to calcium supplements, feed or soil conditioner; manure to fertiliser | Spent hens go to processed meat or rendering. | qualitative |
Other environmental impacts
Avian influenza culls destroy whole flocks, wasting the feed and emissions already embodied in them. Ammonia from layer manure affects nearby air quality.
Levers to cut emissions
- Better feed conversion and lower-emission feed target the 69% feed share (FAO 2013).
- Manure drying and belt removal in layer houses cut manure emissions, 20% of the total (FAO 2013).
- Deforestation-free soy targets the 13% land-use share (FAO 2013).
- Biosecurity and vaccination against avian influenza avoid losses of whole flocks.
India
India laid 147.3 billion eggs in 2024 (FAOSTAT), mostly from cage layers fed domestic maize and soymeal in clusters such as Namakkal and Hyderabad. No India-specific egg LCA was found; FAO's global shares suggest feed dominates.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.