Tea: Emissions
What it takes to make a kilo of tea
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 2.70 kg CO2e per kg range 2.27-4.32 · factory-gate studies: Kenya 2.27, Sri Lanka 2.7, Malawi 4.32 (average of eight factories) Global emissions per year 20.0 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · about 7.3 Mt of made tea x 2.7 kg CO2e/kg; plausible range 15-35 Mt (calculated, indicative)Per kg of made black tea at factory gate (cradle-to-gate). Intensity: Taulo & Sebitosi 2016, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Global total: FAOSTAT 2024; Taulo & Sebitosi 2016.
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 55% Refining / processing 45%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 1.5 kg CO2e/kg (calculated from a share above 55%) | 55% | nitrogen fertiliser and agrochemicals, field N2O | A Sri Lankan study identified agrochemical application (more than 55%) as the main emitting activity up to the factory gate. | Bandara & Witharana 2023, RESCON (Sri Lanka) |
| Refining / processing | about 1.2 kg CO2e/kg (calculated) | 45% | boiler fuel for withering and drying (wood, coal, gas, oil), standby diesel generators | In Malawi, boiler fuel and diesel power were the main sources, which is why its footprint (4.32) is higher. | Taulo & Sebitosi 2016; Bandara & Witharana 2023 |
| Movement | about 0.05-0.1 kg CO2/kg Mombasa to Karachi (calculated, indicative) | – | container shipping and trucking | About 4,700 km at 10-20 g CO2 per t-km. Not in the factory-gate total. | calculated; IMO 2020 order of magnitude (indicative) |
| Usage | consumption 13-43% of a 31.5-46.4 kg CO2e/kg cradle-to-grave footprint (UK) | – | boiling water, overfilled kettles, dairy milk | Overfilling the kettle raises tea's footprint by 76%. A Sri Lankan per-cup study put consumption at 66% of the total. Packaging was 53% in the UK base case. | Circular Ecology 2022; Bandara & Witharana 2023 |
| Recycling / end of life | small | – | spent leaves and tea bags; some bags contain polypropylene | Spent leaves compost readily; plastic-sealed bags do not. | qualitative |
Other environmental impacts
Fuelwood demand for factory dryers has driven local deforestation in East Africa and South India. Hill estates face erosion and pesticide run-off.
Levers to cut emissions
- Switch dryers and withering to sustainably grown wood, biomass briquettes or solar heat; factory energy is about 45% of gate emissions
- Replace standby diesel with grid or solar power (a main source in Malawi)
- Cut nitrogen and agrochemical use, the largest farm source (more than 55% in Sri Lanka)
- Consumers: boil only the water needed (overfilling adds 76%)
India
Indian factories burn coal and natural gas in Assam and the Dooars and fuelwood in South India for withering and drying (indicative). Small growers now supply 56.6% of Indian leaf, so fertiliser practice on smallholdings matters as much as factory fuel (Tea Board 2025).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.