Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in European Union (27)

European Union (27): Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) was 21,651 kt in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
21,651 kt
Change on year
down 0.0%
Rank
8th
of 32 groups
All-time high
34,954 kt
in 1997
All-time low
21,205 kt
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in European Union (27), 1990–2023

010.0k20.0k30.0k1990200620231990: 21.2k kt1991: 28.5k kt1992: 29.1k kt1993: 30.2k kt1994: 29.7k kt1995: 32.3k kt1996: 33.2k kt1997: 35.0k kt1998: 31.9k kt1999: 31.8k kt2000: 33.3k kt2001: 33.6k kt2002: 33.9k kt2003: 34.1k kt2004: 33.4k kt2005: 33.4k kt2006: 32.6k kt2007: 34.0k kt2008: 31.2k kt2009: 26.9k kt2010: 27.8k kt2011: 26.9k kt2012: 25.5k kt2013: 24.5k kt2014: 24.0k kt2015: 24.5k kt2016: 24.4k kt2017: 24.5k kt2018: 23.9k kt2019: 22.4k kt2020: 21.4k kt2021: 23.6k kt2022: 21.7k kt2023: 21.7k kt

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

Analysis

European Union (27) recorded 21,651 kt for food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in 2023.

That represents a change of down 11.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in European Union (27) peaked at 34,954 kt in 1997 and was at its lowest, 21,205 kt, in 1990.

That places European Union (27) 8th out of 32 groups 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 European Union (27), year by year

Annual values for Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) in European Union (27), 1990 to 2023.
Year kt Change
1990 21,205 kt —
1991 28,507 kt +34.4%
1992 29,098 kt +2.1%
1993 30,232 kt +3.9%
1994 29,655 kt -1.9%
1995 32,288 kt +8.9%
1996 33,192 kt +2.8%
1997 34,954 kt +5.3%
1998 31,929 kt -8.7%
1999 31,840 kt -0.3%
2000 33,274 kt +4.5%
2001 33,639 kt +1.1%
2002 33,912 kt +0.8%
2003 34,066 kt +0.5%
2004 33,442 kt -1.8%
2005 33,356 kt -0.3%
2006 32,620 kt -2.2%
2007 33,959 kt +4.1%
2008 31,236 kt -8.0%
2009 26,916 kt -13.8%
2010 27,847 kt +3.5%
2011 26,942 kt -3.2%
2012 25,513 kt -5.3%
2013 24,518 kt -3.9%
2014 24,016 kt -2.0%
2015 24,452 kt +1.8%
2016 24,354 kt -0.4%
2017 24,521 kt +0.7%
2018 23,911 kt -2.5%
2019 22,381 kt -6.4%
2020 21,436 kt -4.2%
2021 23,565 kt +9.9%
2022 21,651 kt -8.1%
2023 21,651 kt -0.0%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Food Packaging — Emissions (CO2eq) in European Union (27) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1991 +34.4% 21,205 kt 28,507 kt

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 30,290 kt 21,205 kt 34,954 kt 10
2000s 32,642 kt 26,916 kt 34,066 kt 10
2010s 24,846 kt 22,381 kt 27,847 kt 10
2020s 22,076 kt 21,436 kt 23,565 kt 4

Countries ranked near European Union (27)

  1. 5 Japan 7,283 kt compare
  2. 6 Brazil 5,313 kt compare
  3. 6 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 396.75 kt compare
  4. 7 Germany 5,293 kt compare
  5. 7 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 193.98 kt compare
  6. 8 South Africa 4,570 kt compare
  7. 9 United Republic of Tanzania 103.45 kt compare
  8. 9 Australia and New Zealand 4,304 kt compare
  9. 10 Australia 4,180 kt compare
  10. 10 Melanesia 69.37 kt compare
  11. 11 India 3,760 kt compare
  12. 11 Republic of Moldova 31.9 kt compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More climate change data for European Union (27)

All data for European Union (27) →

Frequently asked questions

What is food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in European Union (27)?
Food packaging — emissions (co2eq) in European Union (27) was 21,651 kt in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest food packaging — emissions (co2eq) recorded in European Union (27)?
The highest recorded value was 34,954 kt in 1997.
What is the lowest food packaging — emissions (co2eq) recorded in European Union (27)?
The lowest recorded value was 21,205 kt in 1990.
How does European Union (27) rank for food packaging — emissions (co2eq)?
European Union (27) ranks 8th out of 32 groups with data for 2023.
Is food packaging — emissions (co2eq) rising or falling in European Union (27)?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this European Union (27) 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 European Union (27). Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/food-packaging-emissions-co2eq-ar5/european-union-27/

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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, 5,039 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.