Food Packaging — Emissions in United States of America

United States of America: Food Packaging — Emissions was 21,385 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
21,385 kt
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
9th
of 32 groups
All-time high
51,393 kt
in 1997
All-time low
18,620 kt
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Food Packaging — Emissions in United States of America, 1990–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k1990200620231990: 36.8k kt1991: 43.9k kt1992: 36.2k kt1993: 34.8k kt1994: 32.9k kt1995: 49.4k kt1996: 49.6k kt1997: 51.4k kt1998: 41.2k kt1999: 39.5k kt2000: 42.4k kt2001: 41.3k kt2002: 31.0k kt2003: 31.2k kt2004: 31.1k kt2005: 30.3k kt2006: 29.2k kt2007: 30.5k kt2008: 30.3k kt2009: 25.8k kt2010: 26.9k kt2011: 25.4k kt2012: 24.0k kt2013: 23.3k kt2014: 25.5k kt2015: 24.7k kt2016: 24.0k kt2017: 20.4k kt2018: 19.5k kt2019: 18.8k kt2020: 18.6k kt2021: 20.7k kt2022: 21.4k kt2023: 21.4k kt

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kt.

Analysis

United States of America recorded 21,385 kt for food packaging — emissions in 2023.

The figure is down 8.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food packaging — emissions in United States of America peaked at 51,393 kt in 1997 and was at its lowest, 18,620 kt, in 2020.

That places United States of America 9th out of 32 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Food Packaging — Emissions in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2) in United States of America, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 36,804 kt
1991 43,930 kt +19.4%
1992 36,181 kt -17.6%
1993 34,789 kt -3.8%
1994 32,898 kt -5.4%
1995 49,364 kt +50.1%
1996 49,596 kt +0.5%
1997 51,393 kt +3.6%
1998 41,238 kt -19.8%
1999 39,490 kt -4.2%
2000 42,400 kt +7.4%
2001 41,259 kt -2.7%
2002 31,044 kt -24.8%
2003 31,207 kt +0.5%
2004 31,065 kt -0.5%
2005 30,288 kt -2.5%
2006 29,193 kt -3.6%
2007 30,489 kt +4.4%
2008 30,256 kt -0.8%
2009 25,791 kt -14.8%
2010 26,934 kt +4.4%
2011 25,440 kt -5.5%
2012 24,001 kt -5.7%
2013 23,308 kt -2.9%
2014 25,465 kt +9.3%
2015 24,716 kt -2.9%
2016 23,964 kt -3.0%
2017 20,446 kt -14.7%
2018 19,538 kt -4.4%
2019 18,841 kt -3.6%
2020 18,620 kt -1.2%
2021 20,732 kt +11.3%
2022 21,385 kt +3.1%
2023 21,385 kt +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 41,568 kt 32,898 kt 51,393 kt 10
2000s 32,299 kt 25,791 kt 42,400 kt 10
2010s 23,265 kt 18,841 kt 26,934 kt 10
2020s 20,531 kt 18,620 kt 21,385 kt 4

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 6 Germany 5,271 kt compare
  2. 7 Brazil 5,251 kt compare
  3. 8 South Africa 4,499 kt compare
  4. 9 Australia and New Zealand 4,281 kt compare
  5. 10 Australia 4,158 kt compare
  6. 11 India 3,664 kt compare
  7. 12 Canada 3,664 kt compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More climate change data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is food packaging — emissions in United States of America?
Food packaging — emissions in United States of America was 21,385 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest food packaging — emissions recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 51,393 kt in 1997.
What is the lowest food packaging — emissions recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 18,620 kt in 2020.
How does United States of America rank for food packaging — emissions?
United States of America ranks 9th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is food packaging — emissions rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Food Packaging — Emissions in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/food-packaging-emissions-co2/united-states-of-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
168 places, 5,039 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions from Pre- and post- agricultural production includes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and related activity data, generated from pre- and post-agriculture production stages of the agri-food systems. Data are computed following the Tier 1 methods of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National greenhouse gas (GHG) Inventories (IPCC, 1996; 1997; 2000; 2002; 2006; 2014). The domain includes methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) emissions from the above activities as well as the aggregate fluorinated gases (F-gases) emissions. Estimates are available by country, with global coverage and are updated annually.The FAOSTAT domain disseminates information estimates of CH4, N2O, CO2 emissions, F-gases, their aggregates in CO2eq in units of kilotonnes (kt, or 10^6 kg), and the underlying activity data. CO2eq emissions are computed by using the IPCC Fifth Assessment report global warming potentials, AR5 (IPCC, 2014). Data are available for most countries and territories, for standard FAOSTAT regional aggregations, and for Annex I and non-Annex I country groups.