The humble carrot is a staple ingredient in kitchens around the world. So much so, that carrots take the winning role of America’s most trusted vegetable, and the sixth most consumed vegetable. Carrots are full of nutrients, antioxidants, and carotenoids. As an excellent source of Vitamin A, the debate about whether carrots can help you see in the dark is ongoing, but what cannot be disputed is the health benefits. Yet, much less is shared about the environmental impact, and especially the carbon emissions of carrots. So we had to ask: What is the carbon footprint of carrots?

Carrots have a carbon footprint of 0.18 kg (0.4 lb) of CO₂e per pound of produce, which is very low for crops. Over 60% of the carbon footprint is due to the resources used in processing and packaging. Choosing organic, fresh, unpackaged carrots is the most sustainable way to purchase this produce. 

In this article, we’ll walk you through the overall carbon emissions of the life-cycle of carrots. From growing and packaging, to transportation and end-of-life practices, you will learn how this vegetable affects the planet and discover some ways to reduce and offset the footprint. 

Here’s How We Assessed the Carbon Footprint of Carrots

The carbon footprint is one of the ways we measure the effects of our human-induced global climate change. It primarily focuses on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with consumption, but also includes other emissions such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons, and is generally expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e).

“Carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person’s activities or a product’s manufacture and transport) during a given period”

Merriam Webster

Basically, it is the amount of carbon emitted by you as an individual or an organization providing you with goods and services – including carrots:

• This includes GHG emissions from producing the products that we use and foods that we eat (e.g., power plants, factories or farms, and landfills)
• GHG emissions from fuel that we burn directly or indirectly (e.g., logistics and transportation, cooling or heating facilities),
• as well as the GHG emissions attributed to how we consume these products and foods.

To understand the carbon footprint of carrots, we must assess their life-cycle and each stage’s sustainability. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and materials.

Here’s the Overall Carbon Footprint of Carrots

The overall carbon footprint of carrots is 0.18 kg (0.4 lb) of CO₂e per pound of carrots, which is very low. In comparison to salad vegetables, such as lettuce, salad mix, tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper, carrots produce far fewer carbon emissions. 

So, let’s have a look at each stage of the LCA of carrots!

These four stages can be broken down in more detail to understand why the carbon footprint of carrots is low in comparison to other vegetables.

What Is the Carbon Footprint of Growing Carrots

The carbon footprint of growing carrots is 0.05 kg (0.12 lb) of CO₂e per pound of produce. This amounts to around 30% of the overall carbon footprint. This low figure is because carrots do not require a lot of water, are land-efficient, and are relatively fast-growing. As well as this, carrots are found to use very few pesticides in comparison to other vegetables, such as salad mixes. 

Carrots are grown underground, and do not require a lot of resources. The fewer resources needed in the agricultural process lead to a far smaller carbon footprint. 

Which factors impact the carbon footprint of growing carrots?

• How do carrots grow: Carrots are root vegetables, in the Apiacece family, alongside celery, cilantro, and dill. They grow underground so they generally require far less resources than vegetables grown in fields or energy-intensive greenhouses.
• What is the growth duration of carrots: On average, carrots take 50-80 days to mature from seedling. Baby carrots can be harvested from 30 days onwards. This is an average growing speed. For example, crops like lettuce can grow in as little as 28 days, whereas bell peppers can take up to 100 days to be ready for harvest. This average growing time has a small impact on the carbon footprint because carrots would use less resources if they grew faster.
• What is the land usage of carrots: Carrots take up very little space to grow, and can even be grown in containers. Around 20-30 tons are produced per hectare, which gives it quite a high yield. For comparison cucumbers yield 15 tons per hectare on average. The land efficiency of this crop has a positive impact on the overall carbon footprint.
• What is the water usage of carrots: Carrots require at least one inch of water, provided either by rainfall, sprinklers, or irrigation. Either too much or too little water negatively impacts the growth of carrots, with an excess of water encouraging plant disease. Since an excess of water is not required to grow carrots, this only has a small impact on the overall carbon footprint of this crop. 
• What is the pesticide and fertilizer usage of carrots: The Environmental Working Group’s annual study on pesticide use found carrots to be the fifteenth ‘cleanest’ crop. This made it part of their ‘Clean Fifteen’ list of foods that were found to contain the least amount of pesticides. Since pesticide usage produces carbon emissions through manufacturing, transportation, and application to crops, the fact that carrots are treated with minimal pesticides has a positive impact on the environment.

In short, because carrots use minimal resources, such as water, land, and pesticides, the carbon footprint of growing this crop is comparatively low to many other vegetables.

What Is the Carbon Footprint of Harvesting, Processing, and Packaging Carrots

The carbon footprint of harvesting, processing, and packaging carrots is 0.1 kg (0.23 lb) of CO₂e per pound of produce. The majority of this is due to plastic packaging. To lower the carbon footprint of carrots, aim to buy loose produce. 

Processed carrots are popular for sake of convenience, but purchasing processed carrots often means that the produce will be packaged in plastic.

Which factors impact the carbon footprint of harvesting, processing, and packaging carrots?

• How are carrots harvested: Carrots are usually harvested mechanically, using self-propelled, multi-row harvesters. Sometimes they will be hand harvested, particularly if sold fresh, including the leaves. Machine harvesting is far more labor- and time-efficient than hand harvesting. However, these tractors have negative impacts on soil health and release a lot of carbon emissions, increasing the carbon footprint of carrots. 
• How are carrots processed: Carrots can be processed in many ways, and these products are very popular. At their simplest, most carrots are sold after the leaves are removed and the plant is thoroughly washed. They can be juiced, turned into chips, frozen, pre-chopped, peeled, diced and pureed. Surprisingly, baby carrots aren’t a different type of carrot at all, but just fully grown carrots chopped mechanically into two-inch pieces and filed down into shape. The extra resources needed to process carrots increases the carbon footprint of this crop. 
• How are carrots packaged: Whole, fresh carrots are usually packed in film-lined cardboard boxes or wooden crates. Prepackaged carrots are sold in plastic bags, expanded polyethylene trays, polyvinyl chloride, or propylene. The amount of plastic used in the packaging of carrots is where the vast majority of this crop’s carbon emissions are produced. Choosing plastic-free carrots will vastly reduce the carbon footprint. 

In short, over 60% of the carbon emissions of carrots are produced in the packaging and processing stage. Whole carrots sold loose are the most environmentally-conscious choice. 

What Is the Carbon Footprint of Transporting of Carrots

The carbon footprint of transporting carrots is 0.04 kg (0.1 lb) of CO₂e per pound of produce, which makes up 9.35% of the carbon footprint. Most carrots are domestically produced, meaning that the carbon footprint is not increased dramatically by cross-continental shipping. 

The carbon footprint of this stage is still impacted due to the refrigerated trucks required to ship produce from state to state. Purchasing locally-grown carrots reduces the carbon emissions further. 

Which factors impact the carbon footprint of transporting carrots?

• Where are carrots grown: Over 85% of all carrots grown in the US are grown in California, which produces the vegetable all year round. Michigan and Texas also produce carrots. The US is the third highest importer and producer of carrots in the world. Domestic production is the main source of carrots, but 75% of imports are shipped from Mexico. Since most carrots consumed are domestically grown, the carbon footprint remains low. The food miles are smaller than globally-shipped foods, such as tomatoes, and this is better for the environment. 
• How are carrots transported: Carrots are transported either by road, rail, air, or ship. Like most fresh produce, they require constant refrigeration in the transportation process. Unfortunately, refrigerated vehicles can emit up to 29 times more potentially carcinogenic particulate matter and six times more nitrogen oxides than far larger, modern diesel truck engines. If carrots are bought from local farms, the carbon footprint is decreased.

In short, since carrots are largely grown in the US, the carbon footprint of the transportation process is fairly small. To reduce your impact even further, choose local carrots, especially if you are in California or other carrot-growing states like Michigan and Texas. 

What Is the Carbon Footprint of the End-of-Life of Carrots

The carbon footprint of the end-of-life of carrots is largely impacted by the amount of food wasted. Carrots are one of the most discarded vegetables due to aesthetic reasons. Unfortunately, approximately 25-50% of carrots are thrown away for this reason. The plastic packaging is bad for the environment, but lengthens the shelf-life, leading to less food waste.

Raw carrots have a long shelf-life in comparison to salad vegetables. They can last up to 3 months, if stored properly, which leads to less waste than lettuce, or tomato. 

Which factors impact the carbon footprint of the end-of-life of carrots?

• How are carrots disposed of: Around 87,600 tonnes of avoidable carrot waste is discarded each year. Carrots are completely compostable but often end up in landfill, which is a big problem for the environment. Carrots are the most frequently discarded vegetable on farms due to aesthetic imperfections, with 25-50% of carrots being thrown away because of this. The resources used to grow these crops just to discard them are enormous, and negatively impact the carbon footprint of carrots. Make sure to store carrots properly, to reduce the likelihood of waste.
• How is the packaging of carrots disposed of: Plastic packaging can be difficult to recycle. However, many of the polyethylene bags used for packaging are recyclable, as long as the polyethylene is not bonded with other plastics. This is because polyethylene is generally only recycled to make like-for-like products. Still, it is much more sustainable to buy loose produce. A lot of plastic that we recycle ends up on the other side of the world, causing a threat to developing countries. So, it is not as good for the environment as we may imagine. Since processed carrots are rarely sold loose, this increases the carbon footprint, so aim to buy unprocessed, unpackaged produce. 

In short, being mindful of food waste and plastic waste will massively decrease the carbon footprint of carrots at this stage. 

How Does the Carbon Footprint of Carrots Compare to Other Types of Food

Carrots have a relatively low carbon footprint compared to other vegetables. Additionally, vegetables tend to produce far fewer carbon emissions than other types of food, making carrots a highly sustainable snack choice!

Let’s see how carrots compare with other vegetables.

How Does the Carbon Footprint of Carrots Compare to Other Types of Vegetables

In comparison to other vegetables, the carbon footprint of carrots is low. For example, cucumbers produce more than 5 times the carbon emissions of carrots. Salad vegetables need more resources to grow, making their carbon footprint far higher than root vegetables.

So, carrots are one of the more sustainable vegetables, but how do they compare to other types of food?

How Does the Carbon Footprint of Carrots Compare to Other Types of Food in General

Root vegetables have a very low carbon footprint in comparison to other types of food. They produce around 31 times fewer greenhouse gas emissions than beef. 

When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), foods are often compared in terms of emissions per 1,000 kilocalories (as opposed to their weight in lbs or kg).

Additionally, since carrots are low in calories, a far greater amount of produce is needed to equal 1,000 kilocalories.

• To eat 1,000 kilocalories, you would need to consume 24.4 servings, which is around 49 full carrots or 86 ounces.
• In comparison to beef you would only need 4.6 servings to eat 1,000 kilocalories, or 16 ounces.
• Comparatively, vegetables can have a high carbon footprint per kilocalorie, but are enormously less calorific than animal-based food.
• More calorific plant-based foods, such as pulses and nuts, have a miniscule carbon footprint in comparison to animal-based proteins. A single portion of beef amounts to around five portions of carrots, in terms of calories.
• This means that per portion, you will be consuming fewer calories, and so the carbon footprint will not be as large as this graph suggests.

Even though the carbon emissions for carrots are low in comparison to other types of food, try to be mindful of the ways you can lessen your environmental impact when you purchase them.

How Can You Reduce and Offset Your Personal Carbon Footprint

All of the food you eat will have some form of carbon footprint, even when you buy foods with relatively low CO₂e, such as carrots. However, there are ways to offset and reduce your personal carbon footprint. 

There are a few easy techniques to buy more eco-friendly carrots, and you can also find ways to offset the carbon footprint after your purchase. 

How Can You Reduce Your Carbon Footprint When Shopping for Carrots

When shopping for carrots, consider these ways to lessen your impact on the environment. 

1. Shop locally and seasonally: Carrots are in prime season in June, July and from October-December in California. Buying from local farms reduces the carbon emissions produced and makes it a much more sustainable choice.
2. Choose organic: Organic carrots produce a much lower carbon footprint than non-organic vegetables, due to the lack of pesticide production, distribution, and the overall higher health of soil for crops, insects, and animals.
3. Buy plastic-free: Avoid pre-processed and packaged carrots, and instead opt for whole, loose produce. This will decrease the overall carbon footprint of your purchase massively.

Taking these actions are a great way to lessen your own carbon footprint, but there are also ways to offset the impact of consuming carrots as well.

How Can You Offset Your Personal Carbon Footprint

Carbon offsets are reductions in carbon emissions that are used to compensate for carbon emissions occurring elsewhere – for example for the carbon emissions that are associated with carrots. They are measured in tons of CO₂ equivalents and are bought and sold through international brokers, online retailers, and trading platforms on what is known as the global carbon offset market. 

“Carbon Offset: a way for a company or person to reduce the level of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible by paying money to a company that works to reduce the total amount produced in the world, for example by planting trees”

Oxford Dictionary

In terms of carrots – and indeed all food types – there will always be a carbon footprint, because of the resources it takes to get your food from farms to the place where you’ll eventually eat them. And while there are ways to reduce your carbon footprint when shopping for carrots, carbon offsets would be a way to reduce your CO₂e emissions all the way down to net zero (or even to become climate positive).

However, when you purchase carbon offsets, it’s important that they actually make a difference in offsetting (aka reducing) total carbon emissions. To achieve that, the following are key criteria:

• Carbon offset projects have to be effective (different projects have different effectiveness rates)
• Carbon offset projects have to be additional
• Carbon offset projects have to be permanent
• The claims from carbon offset projects have to be verifiable

To find the best carbon offsets for you personally, check out our full guide on the best carbon offsets for individuals, where you’ll also learn more about how these carbon offset projects work, what their respective offsetting costs are, and what your best way would be to offset your own carbon emissions.

Final Thoughts

Carrots have a low carbon footprint when compared with other vegetables and a very low carbon footprint when compared with other foods. However, you can try to reduce your carbon footprint even further by eating organic, reducing food and plastic waste, and purchasing local, seasonal produce. When you do enjoy carrots, think about whether you can offset the carbon emissions created, to make this healthy snack a more sustainable option!

Stay impactful,

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