Pork: Emissions
The climate cost of pork, mostly hidden in its feed
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 12.3 kg CO2e per kg range about 7.2 (median-type value) to 12.3 (global mean) · cradle-to-retail global mean, including land-use change for feed Global emissions per year 870 Mt CO2e per year 2015 · pigs were 14% of 6.2 Gt livestock emissions (by calculation); 0.7 Gt in 2005Per kg of pig meat, retail weight; 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); FAO 2013, Tackling climate change through livestock (GLEAM, ref. year 2005).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 85% Refining / processing 8% Movement 7%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 6.1 kg CO2e/kg (feed 2.9, on-farm 1.7, land-use change 1.5) | 85% | feed crop production (soy, maize), manure methane and N2O, farm energy | FAO splits pig emissions as feed 60%, manure 27%, post-farm 6%, energy 3%, enteric 3%. Liquid manure lagoons make manure a bigger share than in poultry. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative); FAO 2013, Tackling climate change through livestock (GLEAM, ref. year 2005) |
| Refining / processing | about 0.6 kg CO2e/kg (processing 0.3, packaging 0.3) | 8% | slaughter, chilling, curing and smoking energy, packaging | Processed products such as bacon and ham add cooking and smoking energy. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.5 kg CO2e/kg (transport 0.3, retail 0.2) | 7% | refrigerated trucks and reefer ships, retail chilling | Long-haul reefer shipping to Asia adds little per kg. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative) |
| Usage | not quantified in this boundary | – | home refrigeration, cooking, food waste | About 19% of food available to consumers was wasted in 2022; wasted pork carries its full footprint. | UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 (indicative) |
| Recycling / end of life | not applicable as a product; by-products recovered | – | rendering, manure to biogas or fertiliser | Manure digesters on large farms capture methane that would otherwise escape. | qualitative |
Other environmental impacts
Manure nutrient surpluses pollute water in dense pig regions such as the Netherlands, Denmark, North Carolina and parts of China. Imported soy for feed links pork to land clearing in South America; land-use change was 13% of pig emissions (FAO 2013).
Levers to cut emissions
- Manure management (covered storage, anaerobic digestion, faster removal) targets the 27% of pig emissions from manure (FAO 2013).
- Lower-protein diets with synthetic amino acids cut nitrogen excretion and N2O.
- Deforestation-free soy and local feed reduce the 13% land-use share (FAO 2013).
- Better feed conversion and herd health; productivity gains could offset about 24% of business-as-usual livestock emissions by 2050 (FAO 2023).
India
India produced only 0.37 Mt of pig meat in 2024, mostly from backyard pigs in the North East fed on household waste, so its national footprint is small (FAOSTAT 2024). No India-specific pork LCA was found.
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.