Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in Europe

Europe: Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) was 37,646 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
37,646 kt
Change on year
down 0.0%
Rank
5th
of 31 regions
All-time high
53,438 kt
in 2007
All-time low
35,050 kt
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in Europe, 1990–2023

020.0k40.0k60.0k1990200620231990: 35.0k kt1991: 41.7k kt1992: 41.2k kt1993: 42.4k kt1994: 40.1k kt1995: 45.4k kt1996: 48.2k kt1997: 50.3k kt1998: 46.0k kt1999: 46.5k kt2000: 48.1k kt2001: 49.3k kt2002: 50.0k kt2003: 50.6k kt2004: 50.3k kt2005: 49.9k kt2006: 50.6k kt2007: 53.4k kt2008: 51.2k kt2009: 44.3k kt2010: 46.6k kt2011: 46.9k kt2012: 45.4k kt2013: 44.2k kt2014: 42.8k kt2015: 42.9k kt2016: 40.9k kt2017: 41.0k kt2018: 40.7k kt2019: 38.9k kt2020: 37.5k kt2021: 40.4k kt2022: 37.7k kt2023: 37.6k kt

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

Analysis

In 2023, food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in Europe stood at 37,646 kt.

The figure is down 14.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in Europe peaked at 53,438 kt in 2007 and was at its lowest, 35,050 kt, in 1990.

That places Europe 5th out of 31 regions with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in Europe, year by year

Annual values for Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in Europe, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 35,050 kt
1991 41,660 kt +18.9%
1992 41,248 kt -1.0%
1993 42,393 kt +2.8%
1994 40,111 kt -5.4%
1995 45,398 kt +13.2%
1996 48,184 kt +6.1%
1997 50,322 kt +4.4%
1998 45,981 kt -8.6%
1999 46,479 kt +1.1%
2000 48,119 kt +3.5%
2001 49,305 kt +2.5%
2002 49,978 kt +1.4%
2003 50,625 kt +1.3%
2004 50,264 kt -0.7%
2005 49,857 kt -0.8%
2006 50,636 kt +1.6%
2007 53,438 kt +5.5%
2008 51,248 kt -4.1%
2009 44,333 kt -13.5%
2010 46,558 kt +5.0%
2011 46,884 kt +0.7%
2012 45,372 kt -3.2%
2013 44,166 kt -2.7%
2014 42,775 kt -3.1%
2015 42,889 kt +0.3%
2016 40,918 kt -4.6%
2017 40,990 kt +0.2%
2018 40,685 kt -0.7%
2019 38,939 kt -4.3%
2020 37,476 kt -3.8%
2021 40,434 kt +7.9%
2022 37,663 kt -6.9%
2023 37,646 kt -0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 43,683 kt 35,050 kt 50,322 kt 10
2000s 49,780 kt 44,333 kt 53,438 kt 10
2010s 43,018 kt 38,939 kt 46,884 kt 10
2020s 38,305 kt 37,476 kt 40,434 kt 4

Countries ranked near Europe

  1. 2 China, mainland 96,234 kt compare
  2. 3 OECD 69,600 kt compare
  3. 4 Russian Federation 12,397 kt compare
  4. 5 Japan 7,283 kt compare
  5. 6 Brazil 5,313 kt compare
  6. 7 Germany 5,293 kt compare
  7. 8 South Africa 4,570 kt compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More climate change data for Europe

All data for Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in Europe?
Food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in Europe was 37,646 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest food packaging — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Europe?
The highest recorded value was 53,438 kt in 2007.
What is the lowest food packaging — emissions (co2eq) recorded in Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 35,050 kt in 1990.
How does Europe rank for food packaging — emissions (co2eq)?
Europe ranks 5th out of 31 regions with data for 2023.
Is food packaging — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in Europe?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in Europe. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/food-packaging-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/europe/

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About this data

Indicator
Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5)
Unit
kt
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
168 places, 5,582 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT domain on Emissions Totals summarizes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disseminated in the FAOSTAT Climate Change domains of emissions from agrifood 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). Emissions from other economic sectors as defined by the IPCC are also disseminated in the domain for completeness. Methodological details can be found at: https://files-faostat.fao.org/production/GT/GT_en.pdf