Poultry: Emissions
Chicken's carbon footprint versus other meats
Chicken's carbon footprint versus other meats 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 9.90 kg CO2e per kg range about 6.1 (median-type value) to 9.9 (global mean) · cradle-to-retail global mean, including land-use change for feed Global emissions per year 370 Mt CO2e per year 2015 · chickens were 9% of 6.2 Gt livestock emissions and eggs 3%, so chicken meat about 0.37 Gt (by calculation, indicative)Per kg of poultry 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).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 82% Refining / processing 10% Movement 8%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 5.0 kg CO2e/kg (land-use change 2.5, feed 1.8, on-farm 0.7) | 82% | feed crops (maize, soy), land clearing for soy, fertiliser N2O, heating of sheds | FAO puts feed at 78% of chicken meat emissions (land-use change 21%, fertiliser N2O 32%), manure 6% and direct energy 8%. | 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 0.4, packaging 0.2) | 10% | slaughter, scalding, chilling, freezing, packaging | Further processing (nuggets, cooked products) adds frying and cooking energy. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.5 kg CO2e/kg (transport 0.3, retail 0.2) | 8% | refrigerated trucks and reefer ships, retail chilling | FAO puts post-farm processing and transport together at 7%. | OWID 2020 supply-chain chart from Poore & Nemecek 2018 (indicative); FAO 2013, Tackling climate change through livestock (GLEAM, ref. year 2005) |
| Usage | not quantified in this boundary | – | home refrigeration, cooking, food 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; by-products recovered | – | rendering of feathers and offal to meal, litter to fertiliser or fuel | Poultry litter is used as fertiliser or burned for power, which can displace synthetic fertiliser. | qualitative |
Other environmental impacts
Feed soy links chicken to land clearing in Brazil and Argentina. Ammonia from litter and nutrient run-off affect air and water near dense broiler clusters.
Levers to cut emissions
- Deforestation-free soy targets land-use change, 21% of chicken meat emissions (FAO 2013).
- Better feed conversion and lower-emission feed (precision N fertiliser on feed crops) target the 78% feed share (FAO 2013).
- Efficient shed heating and renewable power target the 8% from direct energy (FAO 2013).
- Switching consumption from beef (99.5 kg CO2e/kg) to chicken (9.9) cuts emissions per kg about tenfold (Poore & Nemecek 2018).
India
India produced 5.02 Mt of chicken meat in 2024 (FAOSTAT), mostly from integrators feeding domestic maize and non-GM soymeal, so land clearing in South America is less of a factor than for imported-soy systems. No India-specific broiler 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.