Tobacco: Emissions
The carbon footprint of a single cigarette
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 13.5 g CO2e per cigarette range not published · 84 Mt CO2e divided by about 6.25 trillion cigarettes made in 2014 (calculated) Global emissions per year 84.0 Mt CO2e per year 2014 · published supply-chain total, about 0.2% of global GHG emissionsPer one cigarette (whole supply chain from leaf growing to distribution, cradle-to-retail). Intensity: Zafeiridou, Hopkinson & Voulvoulis 2018, Environmental Science & Technology (indicative). Global total: Zafeiridou et al. 2018; WHO 2022, Tobacco: poisoning our planet (indicative).
Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | not split in the summary used | – | fertiliser and pesticides, clearing land for new fields | WHO estimates about 200,000 ha of land are cleared for tobacco growing each year (indicative). | WHO 2022 (indicative) |
| Refining / processing | not split in the summary used | – | flue-curing barns burning wood or coal; cigarette manufacture energy, paper and filters | Curing fuel is the most distinctive source; WHO puts trees cut for tobacco at about 600 million a year (indicative). | WHO 2022; Zafeiridou et al. 2018 (indicative) |
| Movement | small per cigarette | – | container shipping of packed leaf and finished cigarettes | Leaf from Brazil, India and southern Africa ships to China, Europe and Indonesia. | UN Comtrade 2024 |
| Usage | smoking itself: biogenic CO2, not counted | – | burning leaf | The CO2 from burning is biogenic. The main use-phase harm is to health and air quality, not climate. | qualitative |
| Recycling / end of life | not quantified | – | littered filters made of cellulose acetate | WHO estimates up to 4.5 trillion filters are littered each year, a source of microplastics. | WHO 2022 (indicative) |
Other environmental impacts
Deforestation for curing fuel in southern Africa, heavy pesticide use, water use (WHO estimates 22 billion tonnes a year, indicative) and litter.
Levers to cut emissions
- Efficient curing barns and switching from wood and coal to sustainable biomass or solar-assisted curing
- Woodlots grown for curing fuel instead of natural forest
- Renewable power in cigarette factories
- Demand reduction through taxation, which cuts every phase
India
India's flue-cured crop in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is cured in barns fired with wood and coal, so curing fuel is a main source (indicative). Crop-size caps, such as the 81 million kg proposed for Andhra Pradesh in 2026-27, also cap emissions (Global Agriculture, Aug 2026).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.