Consumerism and carbon footprint  

Soaring temperatures and unpredictable climate behaviour have thrown ecosystems out of order. We cannot deny that what is happening around us is our own creation. Our current lifestyle and excessive consumerism are major factors behind this. Earth has a limited carrying capacity, and it cannot be exploited beyond that limit. Climate change and global warming are clear expressions of such overexploitation.  

Over the last 100 years, humanity has become a much larger consumer than it once was. Earlier, our dependence was limited to local resources, which naturally supported sustainability. However, with the rise of industrialisation, consumer markets began producing goods that attracted consumers but also significantly contributed to climate change and global warming through increased carbon footprints.  

Every product, whether it costs one rupee or one dollar, uses the earth’s resources and returns them in the form of carbon emissions. For example, whether we are using chips, soft drinks, or clothes, each product has its own carbon footprint. Cold drinks generate around 0.15 to 0.3 kg of carbon per serving, reflecting their negative environmental impact. Junk food, which is widely preferred, has a higher carbon footprint, ranging from 0.3 to 3 kg depending on ingredients and processing. Cosmetics also contribute significantly, producing approximately 0.2 to 6 kg of carbon per product due to differences in formulation, packaging, and other processes.  

High-carbon-footprint products include both food items and manufactured goods. Among commonly consumed items, coffee beans have a footprint of about 17 kg of carbon per kg, and chocolate is even higher at approximately 19 kg of carbon per kg. Processed snacks such as potato chips or wafers emit about 2.5–4 kg of carbon per kg, namkeen or bhujia around 2–3.5 kg per kg, biscuits about 2–3 kg per kg, and instant noodles roughly 3–5 kg per kg.  

Among foods, beef has the highest emissions, producing about 15.5 kg of carbon per 100 g (around 155 kg per kg), followed by lamb at about 5.8 kg per 100 g and prawns at about 4.1 kg per 100 g. Cheese contributes approximately 2.8 kg per 100 g, while pork and chicken emit about 2.4 kg and 1.8 kg per 100 g, respectively.  

On the other hand, manually operated or homemade products have lower carbon footprints. Homemade roasted snacks have a footprint of less than 1 kg of carbon per kg, making them a more climate-friendly choice.  

In staple food production, chakki atta is responsible for about 0.4–1.0 kg of carbon per kilogram, whereas traditional watermills or handmills are far more sustainable, emitting only about 0.05–0.2 kg per kilogram. Similarly, farming practices show a clear difference: organic farming emits roughly 0.2–0.6 kg of carbon per kilogram, while chemical-based farming has a higher footprint, ranging from 0.8 to 2.5 kg per kilogram.  

Industrial textile production has a high carbon footprint because it depends heavily on electricity-driven machines, fossil fuels, chemical processing, and long transportation chains. On average, factory-made textiles emit about 15–25 kg of carbon per kilogram of fabric. In contrast, handmade weaving (handloom) has a much lower carbon footprint, as it typically emits around 1–3 kg of carbon per kilogram.  

Handmade paper has a much lower carbon footprint. On average, handmade paper emits about 100–300 kg of carbon per tonne of paper, whereas paper mills emit around 600–1,900 kg of carbon per tonne of paper.  

Consumers are largely unaware of this. Frugality, unfortunately, has become a challenge for industries, as their growth depends on encouraging excessive consumption. Over the past 100 years, scientific advancement has increased human comfort, and industries have taken advantage of this by aggressively marketing their products through attractive and often misleading information.  

Today, governments have begun pressuring industries to disclose health-related warnings on their products. If such warnings are possible, why should industries not also be required to print the carbon footprint of their products? This is crucial because consumers are unaware that their consumption directly or indirectly harms the environment. This is a time when mass awareness about climate change and global warming is urgently needed. Printing carbon emissions on products, just like calorie and ingredient information, could help consumers understand not only how a product affects their health, but also how it affects the planet.  

We must know that the principle of nature says that a consumer must also be a contributor. Through this initiative, people can decide whether to use low-carbon products, and there will be a contribution from each of us towards serving nature. 

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