Dark chocolate
On global average, producing 1 kg of Dark chocolate emits about 46.7 kg CO₂e, uses 69 m² of land and withdraws 541 litres of fresh water.
- Greenhouse gas emissions46.7kg CO₂e per kgRank 2 of 38
- Land use69m² per kgRank 4 of 38
- Freshwater withdrawals541litres per kgRank 16 of 38
per kilogram, global average
Compared with other foods
Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of food (kg CO₂e).
- Beef (beef herd)99.5
- Dark chocolate46.7
- Cheese23.9
- Poultry9.87
- Tofu3.16
- Beans, lentils & other pulses1.79
Per kilogram, Dark chocolate emits 26 times as much as Beans, lentils & other pulses.
In everyday terms
274 km
The emissions from 1 kg of Dark chocolate are about the same as driving 274 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.