Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) was 1,780 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1,780 kt
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
30th
of 146 countries
All-time high
4,973 kt
in 1990
All-time low
1,727 kt
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990–2023

2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k1990200620231990: 5.0k kt1991: 4.9k kt1992: 4.8k kt1993: 4.3k kt1994: 4.3k kt1995: 4.3k kt1996: 4.1k kt1997: 4.0k kt1998: 3.2k kt1999: 3.2k kt2000: 3.3k kt2001: 3.4k kt2002: 3.3k kt2003: 3.3k kt2004: 3.3k kt2005: 3.6k kt2006: 3.9k kt2007: 4.0k kt2008: 4.0k kt2009: 3.3k kt2010: 3.4k kt2011: 3.2k kt2012: 3.2k kt2013: 3.0k kt2014: 2.8k kt2015: 2.6k kt2016: 2.3k kt2017: 2.1k kt2018: 2.0k kt2019: 1.9k kt2020: 1.7k kt2021: 1.8k kt2022: 1.8k kt2023: 1.8k kt

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

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 1,780 kt for food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 4,973 kt in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1,727 kt, in 2020.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 30th of 146 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 4,973 kt
1991 4,922 kt -1.0%
1992 4,787 kt -2.7%
1993 4,268 kt -10.8%
1994 4,256 kt -0.3%
1995 4,256 kt +0.0%
1996 4,054 kt -4.7%
1997 4,009 kt -1.1%
1998 3,230 kt -19.4%
1999 3,248 kt +0.6%
2000 3,272 kt +0.7%
2001 3,428 kt +4.7%
2002 3,266 kt -4.7%
2003 3,337 kt +2.2%
2004 3,255 kt -2.5%
2005 3,637 kt +11.7%
2006 3,926 kt +8.0%
2007 4,019 kt +2.4%
2008 4,000 kt -0.5%
2009 3,331 kt -16.7%
2010 3,397 kt +2.0%
2011 3,186 kt -6.2%
2012 3,223 kt +1.2%
2013 3,005 kt -6.8%
2014 2,831 kt -5.8%
2015 2,587 kt -8.6%
2016 2,261 kt -12.6%
2017 2,067 kt -8.6%
2018 2,000 kt -3.2%
2019 1,862 kt -6.9%
2020 1,727 kt -7.3%
2021 1,818 kt +5.3%
2022 1,780 kt -2.1%
2023 1,780 kt +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4,200 kt 3,230 kt 4,973 kt 10
2000s 3,547 kt 3,255 kt 4,019 kt 10
2010s 2,642 kt 1,862 kt 3,397 kt 10
2020s 1,776 kt 1,727 kt 1,818 kt 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 27 Spain 1,931 kt compare
  2. 28 France 1,921 kt compare
  3. 29 Mexico 1,844 kt compare
  4. 30 United Kingdom 1,780 kt compare
  5. 32 Chile 1,412 kt compare
  6. 33 Uzbekistan 914.84 kt compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More climate change data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 1,780 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest food packaging — emissions (co2eq) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 4,973 kt in 1990.
What is the lowest food packaging — emissions (co2eq) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,727 kt in 2020.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for food packaging — emissions (co2eq)?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 30th out of 146 countries with data for 2023.
Is food packaging — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/food-packaging-emissions-co2eq-ar5-fao-tier-1/united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland/

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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
179 places, 5,952 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