Cane sugar
On global average, producing 1 kg of Cane sugar emits about 3.2 kg CO₂e, uses 2.04 m² of land and withdraws 620 litres of fresh water.
- Greenhouse gas emissions3.2kg CO₂e per kgRank 14 of 38
- Land use2.04m² per kgRank 23 of 38
- Freshwater withdrawals620litres per kgRank 14 of 38
per kilogram, global average
Compared with other foods
Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of food (kg CO₂e).
- Beef (beef herd)99.5
- Cheese23.9
- Poultry9.87
- Cane sugar3.2
- Tofu3.16
- Beans, lentils & other pulses1.79
Per kilogram, Cane sugar emits 1.8 times as much as Beans, lentils & other pulses.
In everyday terms
19 km
The emissions from 1 kg of Cane sugar are about the same as driving 19 km in an average petrol car.
Lower-impact alternatives
Treats and drinks have no like-for-like replacement. Their impact depends mostly on how much you have and how they are produced.
More food footprints
Method and data
Footprints vary between farms and countries, but the difference between types of food is usually far larger than the difference between producers of the same food.
Values are global averages from Poore & Nemecek (2018), who compiled data from about 38,700 farms in 119 countries, as published by Our World in Data. Emissions include land-use change, farming, processing, transport, packaging and retail. Real products vary by farm and region; use these figures to compare food types, not individual brands.