Food · emission factor
The Carbon Footprint of Pork
1,220 g CO₂e / 100g
Pork generates roughly 1,220 grams of CO₂-equivalent per 100 grams — about 12 kg of CO₂e per kilogram of meat. That places it in the middle of the animal-protein spectrum: less than half the footprint of beef (2,990 g/100g), but roughly double that of chicken (620 g/100g). For anyone tracking their diet's climate impact, pork is one of the swing foods where choices matter.
Why pork's footprint sits between beef and chicken
Pigs are monogastric animals, not ruminants, so unlike cattle and sheep they do not produce large amounts of enteric methane during digestion. That is the main reason pork's footprint is far below beef's 2,990 g and lamb's 2,420 g per 100g. But pigs are less feed-efficient than chickens: they need more feed per kilogram of meat produced, and that feed — largely soy and cereals — carries its own emissions from fertilizer, farm machinery, and in some regions land-use change linked to soy expansion. Manure management is the other major source: stored pig slurry releases methane and nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Feed production and manure together account for most of pork's climate impact, which is why farm practices cause wide variation between producers.
How pork compares in context
At 1,220 g CO₂e per 100g, a 150 g pork chop is responsible for roughly 1.8 kg of CO₂e — comparable to driving about 8 km in a petrol car (231 g per passenger-km). Swap that chop for chicken (620 g/100g) and the meal's footprint roughly halves; swap it for tofu (200 g/100g) or beans (100 g/100g) and it drops by 85–90%. Zoom out and the stakes are real: livestock accounts for roughly 14–15% of global greenhouse gas emissions according to the FAO, and pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world by volume. Small per-meal differences, multiplied across billions of servings, add up to a meaningful lever for global emissions.
What drives variation between pork products
Not all pork is equal. Peer-reviewed data from Poore and Nemecek (2018, Science) show large spreads between producers: efficient systems with good feed conversion and covered manure storage can come in well below average, while systems relying on deforestation-linked soy feed can exceed it. Processed products such as bacon, ham, and sausages typically carry a somewhat higher footprint per edible gram because of processing energy and trimming losses. Transport and packaging, by contrast, are usually minor — for most meat, over 80% of emissions occur on the farm, so where and how the pig was raised matters far more than how far the meat traveled.
How pork compares
How to reduce this footprint
- ✓ Swap pork for chicken in everyday dishes to roughly halve the meat's footprint, or for beans and tofu to cut it by up to 90%.
- ✓ Treat pork as an occasional choice rather than a daily default — reducing portion size and frequency is the biggest lever.
- ✓ Prefer whole cuts over heavily processed products like bacon and sausages, which tend to carry more emissions per edible gram.
- ✓ Track your meals for a couple of weeks in a carbon tracker like Decarbonr to see how pork actually weighs in your personal food footprint.
Frequently asked questions
Is pork better for the climate than beef?
Yes, substantially. Pork emits about 1,220 g CO₂e per 100g versus roughly 2,990 g for beef — less than half. The main reason is that pigs, unlike cattle, do not produce large amounts of enteric methane.
Is pork worse than chicken for the environment?
Generally yes. Pork's footprint of about 1,220 g CO₂e per 100g is roughly double chicken's 620 g, because pigs convert feed to meat less efficiently and their manure management emits more methane and nitrous oxide.
How much CO2 does one serving of pork produce?
A typical 150 g serving of pork accounts for roughly 1.8 kg of CO₂e. That is comparable to driving about 8 km in a petrol car, and around five to six times the impact of an equivalent serving of tofu.
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Sources & methodology: see Research & scientific references. Figures are averages used by the Decarbonr app; real-world values vary by production system, country, and occupancy.