# Lead: Emissions

Why recycled lead carries a lighter footprint

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/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. Emission intensity 1.30 t CO2e per t range 0.5-2.5 (secondary to primary) · cradle-to-gate primary lead; secondary lead from batteries is lower Global emissions per year 12.0 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · 4.5 Mt primary x 1.3 t plus about 8.8 Mt secondary x about 0.7 t

Per t of refined lead, cradle-to-gate (primary route unless stated). Intensity: Nuss and Eckelman 2014, PLoS ONE (ecoinvent-based) (indicative). Global total: Derived from Nuss and Eckelman 2014 and USGS/ILZSG (indicative).

#### Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
 Extraction 38% Refining / processing 54% Movement 8%

#### Footprint by lifecycle phase

| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Extraction** | about 0.5 t CO2e/t (mining and concentration, allocated with zinc and silver) | 38% | underground mining and flotation | Allocation between lead, zinc and silver changes the result | Share indicative |
| **Refining / processing** | about 0.7 t CO2e/t (sintering or direct smelting and refining) | 54% | coke and fuel in smelting, power for refining | Modern direct smelting cuts energy and SO2 | Share indicative |
| **Movement** | about 0.1 t CO2e/t | 8% | shipping concentrate | Short for domestic recycling | Indicative |
| **Usage** | none directly; enabling | – | no emissions in use | Lead-acid batteries start most vehicles and back up telecom towers and inverters | this tile's lessons |
| **Recycling / end of life** | secondary lead roughly 0.5-1 t CO2e/t (indicative) | – | battery breaking, smelting and refining | About two-thirds of world refined lead is recycled; EU end-of-life recycling input rate 83% | ILA EU secondary route LCA 2025 (indicative); EU CRM 2023; USGS/ILZSG |

#### Other environmental impacts

Lead is a neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure. Informal battery recycling is a major source of poisoning: UNICEF and Pure Earth (2020) estimated about 800 million children worldwide had blood lead above 5 micrograms per decilitre, about 275 million of them in India (indicative).

#### Levers to cut emissions

- Move battery recycling to formal smelters with emission controls
- Renewable power and oxygen-enriched smelting to cut fuel use
- Recover sulphur from battery paste as sodium sulphate or gypsum
- Longer-life batteries to cut replacement demand

#### India

India's lead supply is mostly recycled batteries, and a large share is still processed informally, which matters more for health than for carbon (UNICEF and Pure Earth 2020, indicative). The Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 set recovery targets for producers.
 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/lead/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/characteristics/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lead/links/index.md)