Carbon Footprint of Tofu: Is Tofu Sustainable? (Busting the Myth)

Man holds a plate of tofu out a window and watches as the carbon footprint of tofu is released into the air and wonders is tofu sustainable and why is tofu bad for the environment.

The carbon footprint of tofu forms part of a much bigger picture than many people realize.

In the overall global carbon footprint of food, products made from soy are often considered ‘greener’ than others, especially meats, but how does it compare to other veggies?

And, just what is the carbon footprint of tofu? Is it really sustainable for the planet?

This complete guide explains everything about food carbon footprints, their myths, and why some foods have higher emissions than you might realize.

The global carbon footprint of food includes the following factors:

  • Emissions from food farming and operations (energy)
  • Emissions from food waste
  • Emissions from deforestation
  • Emissions from food transportation (many people forget about)
  • Emissions from non-food agricultural products

Understanding the Carbon Footprint of Tofu

The carbon footprint of tofu is indicated as follows:

  • 100g of tofu is equal to 0.08kg of carbon emissions
  • This is equal to driving 0.4km in a gas-powered car

Chart showing the carbon footprint of various food products compared to the carbon footprint of tofu.

The below table indicates the carbon footprint of tofu23 compared to the carbon footprint of other food products.10

Food Product Land Use, Farming, and Feed Emissions in CO2e Per Kg of Product Packaging, Transport, and Processing Emissions in CO2e Per Kg of Product
Beef 57.54kg of CO2 per kg of product 1.86kg of CO2 per kg of product
Lamb 22.35kg of CO2 per kg of product 1.85kg of CO2 per kg of product
Beef (dairy) 19.1kg of CO2 per kg of product 1.8kg of CO2 per kg of product
Pork 6.17kg of CO2 per kg of product 0.92kg of CO2 per kg of product
Chicken 4.99kg of CO2 per kg of product 0.93kg of CO2 per kg of product
Farmed Fish 4.95kg of CO2 per kg of product 0.19kg of CO2 per kg of product
Tofu 1.45kg of CO2 per kg of product 1.15kg of CO2 per kg of product
Peas 0.7kg of CO2 per kg of product 0.1kg of CO2 per kg of product

Is Tofu Sustainable?

The question, is tofu sustainable, is a loaded one. That is because while tofu doesn’t emit nearly as much CO2 into the environment or contribute as severely to deforestation and climate change as meat products, the process of tofu production isn’t truly clean.

The debate surrounding the true sustainability of tofu rests on the fact that some tofu may be sourced from deforested land in South America, Brazil in particular.

The argument surrounding the severity of the carbon footprint of tofu relies on whether soy production is contributing the same levels of CO2 as meat production or animal agriculture.

This subject is broken down as follows:

Deforestation Caused by Soybean Production

Approximately 29% of GHG emissions related to deforestation in Brazil is due to soy production. In Paraguay, more than 80% of agricultural land in Gran Chaco is used for soybean cultivation.

The global land area used for soybean cultivation is the size of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France combined.

Soy Consumption

About 70% of global soy is directed to livestock as feed, and a mere 6% is turned into food for human consumption24 (mainly consumed in Asia). What is left of the soy is converted to oil.

Soybeans as Feed for Livestock

Soybeans are the cheapest way to keep livestock fed and are the largest global source of protein for farm animals.

Since meat consumption and livestock feeding on soy are inextricably linked, the best way to halt soy-related deforestation is to curb meat consumption.

A study found that if Germany’s population significantly lowered their meat consumption, around 1.8 million acres of agricultural land would be saved.

If every person in the US completely removed meat from their personal menu, the extra grain would be enough to feed around 1.4 billion people.11

Pie chart that shows what is soy used for.

Related Reading: Carbon Offset Quiz: Can You Go Green? Test Your Footprint IQ

Deforestation Carbon Footprint of Tofu

So, what does this all mean for the carbon footprint of tofu?

Basically, current soybean production practices affect the environment and the global climate positively as well as negatively:

Main causes of GHG emissions in Brazil:

  • 29% deforestation because of soybean cultivation and soy production
  • 71% cattle ranching

Eating tofu just twice a week adds 12 kg of CO2 a year to a personal carbon footprint. This is equal to driving 32 miles in a gas powered car.

However, in defense of the carbon footprint of tofu, the same amount of dairy consumption per week adds up to four times the CO2, and the same amount of beef adds up to 604 kg of CO2 a year. This is equal to driving 1,542 miles in a gas-powered car.

Then again, on the negative side,25 deforestations in the Cerrado Basin in Brazil is having a severe impact on biodiversity in the area, because 5% of all species in the world can be found there. This includes more than 10,000 plant species.12

Why Is Tofu Bad for the Environment?

The question then follows, why is tofu bad for the environment? On top of deforestation and negative impacts on biodiversity, tofu is also bad for the environment because of the following reasons:

  • It takes around 300 liters of water to produce a single liter of soy milk. The process of soymilk production makes it harder for water to seep back into the ground, and mass soy farming practices compact the soil, making it even more difficult for the water to be reabsorbed.
  • Mass soy farming is responsible for huge amounts of GHG emissions. For example, the Amazon rainforest alone has absorbed around 76 billion tons of carbon emissions which is equal to 21 years of emissions in Europe.13

Tofu Environmental Impact

When it comes to the global tofu environmental impacts, some farmers are of the opinion that tofu production is worse than meat production. The argument is based on unpublished research that states tofu production has a deeper carbon footprint than meat production.

However, these claims are refuted by facts such as:

  • Plant-based foods always have a lower impact on the environment compared to meat-based products.
  • Plant-based foods, including tofu, are not overly processed and take less energy to produce.14

Sustainable Tofu Brands

Based on the negative impacts of tofu production, it is best to choose sustainable tofu brands.

This means choosing tofu brands with organic certification and buying locally. Buying tofu in bulk is also a more sustainable way of incorporating tofu into a daily diet.

Some brands include:

  • Earth Source
  • Just Organic
  • Evergreen

Carbon Footprint of Tofu: Is Soy Worse for the Environment Than Meat?

When considering the above arguments and debates surrounding soy production, the natural question is, is soy worse for the environment26 than meat?

It is clear that meat consumption and meat production far exceeds soy production in CO2 emissions and severe impact on the environment:

Obtaining the same amount of protein from beef as from soy would take up to 32 times more land usage.

Carbon Footprint of Food Products

When calculating the GHG emissions produced by the global food system, all relevant factors must be included:19,1

3D bar graph that shows the comparison of emissions among land use, transport, post retail, agriculture, packaging, food processig, retail.
The graph shows the food carbon emissions for the years 2018 and 2021.

Among the seven factors, agriculture remained to have the highest carbon emissions for both years.

What Food Has the Highest Carbon Footprint?

The first question that is usually asked about the global food carbon footprint is, what food has the highest carbon footprint?

The food with the highest carbon footprint is beef (herd), mainly because of the requirements to farm cattle, especially the feed.

  • Total GHG emission per kg of beef (herd): 59.57kg
  • Farming (source): 39.39kg
  • Land usage (source): 16.28kg2

Carbon Footprint of Meat

The carbon footprint of meat is extremely high, accounting for almost 60% of all CO2 emissions emitted during food production.

Bar graph representation of the GHG emissions of different food products.

The graph shows that meat products produce more carbon emissions compared with other food products like tomatoes, peas, and nuts.

Beef Carbon Footprint

The beef carbon footprint is estimated as follows:

9.73kg of CO2 emissions per 21g of beef. However, this is a generalization and different cuts of beef and types have different footprints.

  • 21g of beef consumption x 365 is the equivalent of 399.4 gallons of gas and emits 3,550.7 kg of CO2
  • 21g of beef consumption x 365 is the equivalent of 112,881 ft of land usage.
  • 21g of beef consumption x 365 is the equivalent of 27,374 gallons of water usage.

Table of beef carbon footprint found in 21g burger and the factor that largely contributes to its carbon footprint.

Beef production is responsible for:

  • 24.5 times more carbon emissions (compared to soy)
  • 58.9 times more land usage (compared to soy)
  • 14 x more water usage (compared to soy)3

Carbon Footprint of Chicken

The carbon footprint of chicken is estimated as follows:

1.39kg of CO2 emissions per 21g of chicken.

  • 21g of chicken consumption x 365 is the equivalent of 56.9 gallons of gas and emits 505.9kg of CO220
  • 21g of chicken consumption x 365 is the equivalent of 6,379ft2 of land usage.
  • 21g of chicken consumption x 365 is the equivalent of 6,496 gallons of water usage.

Table of chicken carbon footprint found in 1kg and the factor that largely contributes to its carbon footprint.Chicken production is responsible for:

  •  6.6 times fewer carbon emissions (compared to beef)
  • 16.6 times less land usage (compared to beef)
  • 4 x less water usage (compared to beef)4

Fish Carbon Footprint

The fish carbon footprint was previously believed to be much smaller than that of other animal proteins.21

However, further studies indicate that heavy netting relating to fishing emits the same amount of CO2 around the world as the entire aviation sector.

It is estimated that around 1 gigaton of CO2 is created by heavy netting (so-called bottom trawling). This equates to 2% of global carbon emissions.5

Rice Carbon Footprint

The rice carbon footprint is indicated as follows:

  • 100g of rice is equal to 0.16kg of carbon emissions.
  • This is equal to driving 0.8km in a gas-powered car.
  • It is also equal to 0.09m3 of CO2 gas.

Bar graph representation fo Ranking of Rice Carbon Footprint Comnpared to Other Food Items.

The above chart indicates the ranking of rice carbon footprint compared to other food items:6

Carbon Footprint of Eggs

The carbon footprint of eggs is indicated as follows:

  • 2x small eggs (100g) is equal to 0.53kg of carbon emissions.
  • This is equal to driving 2.7km in a gas-powered car.
  • It is also equal to 0.29m3 of CO2 gas.

The below table indicates global emissions produced by egg supply chains:7

Pie chart representation of Global Egg Supply Emmisions (by category & percentage).

Category of Emissions Percentage of Emissions
N2O – Applied and Deposited Manure 21% of N2O emissions
N2O – Fertilizer and Crop Residues 9% of N2O emissions
CO2 – Feed 27% of CO2 emissions
CO2 – LUC: Soybean 13% of CO2 emissions
CH4 – Manure Management 9% of CH4 emissions
N2O – Manure Management 11% of N2O emissions
CO2 – Direct Energy 4% of CO2 emissions
CO2 – Post Farm 5% of CO2 emissions
CO2 – Other (including feed) 1% of CO2 emissions

Carbon Footprint of Milk

The carbon footprint of milk is as follows:

  • 250ml of milk is equal to 0.8kg of carbon emissions.
  • This is equal to driving 3.8km in a gas-powered car.
  • It is also equal to 0.44m3 of CO2 gas.

The below table indicates the carbon footprint of milk22 compared to the carbon footprint of other beverages:8

Pie chart that shows the carbon emissions of milk compared to other beverages.

Type of Beverage Carbon Emissions in Kg
250ml of milk 0.8kg of CO2
15g of coffee 0.4kg of CO2
250ml of rice milk 0.3kg of CO2
355ml of beer 0.25kg of CO2
250ml of soy milk 0.25kg of CO2
250ml of oat milk 0.22kg of CO2
250ml of almond milk 0.18kg of CO2
330ml of Coke 0.17kg of CO2
150ml of wine 0.13kg of CO2

Simple Carbon Footprint Calculator

A simple carbon footprint calculator can be used to determine the carbon emissions and footprints of different food types. This type of calculator requires the following inputs:

  • Food type
  • Food weight in kilograms (100g = 0.1kg)

The calculator (at the top of the page) calculates the carbon footprint in kgCO2e, and also provides an equivalent example (usually mileage driven by a gas-powered car).9

Carbon Footprint Soy: Break Down

The carbon footprint soy is indicated as follows:

34g of soy protein (1/2 cup of dry beans) equals 0.60kg of carbon emissions.

This equates to:

  • ½ cup of soy consumption x 365 = 218.7kg of carbon emissions. This is equal to 24.6 gallons of gas.
  • ½ cup of soy consumption x 365 = 2,901ft2 of land usage. This is equal to 20 parking spaces.
  • ½ cup of soy consumption x 365 = 2,957 gallons of water usage. This is equal to 19,7 hours in the shower.Chart that shows soy's carbon emissions comparisons.

Furthermore, the above comparisons apply:15

Tofu vs Beef Carbon Footprint

The tofu vs beef carbon footprint is simply indicated as:

  • Tofu GHG emissions27 are 12.5 times lower than the emissions of a beef burger.

Soy vs Beef Carbon Footprint

The soy vs beef carbon footprint is simply indicated as:

  • Soy GHG emissions are 24.5 times lower than the emissions of beef.

Steak Carbon Footprint

The steak carbon footprint is stated as follows:

  • 1kg of beef production emits around 60 kg of GHG.
  • In addition to this, 1kg of lamb or mutton production emits around 24 kg of GHG.
  • Furthermore, 1kg of pork production emits around 8 kg of GHG.

By these figures, it is clear that beef production and the steak carbon footprint are excessive.

Eating Meat Carbon Footprint

The so-called ‘eating meat’ carbon footprint is indicated by the following map:16

Map that shows the meat consumption per person.

The image above shows the map of meat consumption per person (in kg per year).

Chicken Carbon Footprint

The chicken carbon footprint is approximately 12.27kg of carbon emissions per kg. This is 6.6 times lower than the carbon emissions of beef.

You can calculate your specific one above.

Carbon Footprint Tofu vs Chicken

The carbon footprint tofu vs chicken is estimated as follows:

The carbon footprint of tofu is around 10% of that of chicken carbon footprint.

Environmental Impact of Tofu vs Chicken

The environmental impact of tofu vs chicken is indicated as follows:

  • The carbon footprint of tofu is estimated to be 10% the size of the carbon footprint of chicken.
  • However, it must be noted that this percentage can increase to 200% if the tofu comes from land that has been deforested.

Expanding on the above, the below facts are also related to the environmental impact28 of tofu and different types of meats.

  • Different types of meats are responsible for 56% of CO2 emissions in the average US diet.
  • 80% of global soy production is used to feed livestock.
  • The seitan production process causes 130 times less CO2 emissions than that of beef.17

Food Carbon Footprint

The global food carbon footprint is indicated as follows:

Food systems are responsible for roughly 1/3 of human activity-related GHG emissions. This equates to 34% of human-caused GHG emissions globally, but on an individual basis, the food carbon footprint can be from 10 to 30 percent.

One way that consumers can erase their emissions from diet is to purchase food delivery carbon offset programs and other tree planting offset strategies.

The below table indicates the six countries with the largest food system emissions.18

Country GtCO2e % of Total (Global)
China 2.4 GtCO2e 13.5% of the global total
Indonesia 1.6 GtCO2e 8.8% of the global total
US 1.5 GtCO2e 8.2% of the global total
Brazil 1.3 GtCO2e 7.4% of the global total
EU 1.2 GtCO2e 6.7% of the global total
India 1.1 GtCO2e 6.3% of the global total

It is clear, from the above information, that while tofu and the production of soy based products do have a somewhat negative impact on the environment, the carbon footprint of tofu is far exceeded by the carbon footprint of beef.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Carbon Footprint of Tofu

What Is the Carbon Footprint of Tofu?

The carbon footprint of tofu is 0.70kg of carbon emissions per ½ cup. 100g of tofu is equal to 0.04m3 of CO2 gas.

What Is the Carbon Emissions of Tofu?

The carbon emissions of tofu are as follows:

1kg of tofu consists of 16% of CO2 emitted during soy production, 52% of CO2 emitted during tofu manufacturing, 23% of CO2 emitted during packaging and 9% CO2 emitted during transportation.

What Is Tofu Deforestation?

Tofu deforestation is not on the same scale as deforestation due to animal agriculture.

What Is Tofu Environmental Impact?

The tofu environmental impact does include increasing global warming, eutrophication, ozone depletion and ocean acidification, but this is not nearly on the same level as the environmental impact of beef production.

What Is the Impact of Tofu on Environment?

In general, eating tofu twice a week does contribute 2kg to a single consumer’s annual GHG emissions. This is equal to driving 32 miles in a gas powered car or heating an average home in the UK for 2 full days

How Much Energy Does It Take To Make Tofu?

The energy consumption of tofu production is as follows:

69.33 MJ/kg soybean which includes

  • 66.64 MJ/kg for cooking
  • 2.39 MJ/kg for milling
  • 0.20 MJ/kg for energy consumption
  • 0.11 MJ/kg for human energy

Is Soy Bad for the Environment?

Soy production does emit GHG gases that contribute to climate change; however, it is nowhere near the GHG gas levels that are emitted during meat production.

What Is the Carbon Footprint Chicken?

100g of chicken is equal to 1.82kg of CO2 emissions. This is equal to driving 9.3km in a gas powered car.

What Is the Chicken Carbon Footprint Per Kg?

The carbon footprint of chicken is 12.27kg of carbon emissions per kg.

What Is the Environmental Impact of Tofu vs Chicken?

The environmental impact of tofu vs chicken is explained as follows:

The carbon footprint of tofu is estimated to be 10% of the carbon footprint of chicken.

What Is the Fish Carbon Footprint?

100g of fish is equal to 0.73m3 of CO2 gas.

What Are the Required Inputs for Carbon Footprint Calculator for Business?

Using a carbon footprint calculator for business requires the following inputs:

  • Direct emissions under the control of the company
  • Indirect emissions from electricity bought and used.
  • Indirect emissions such as transportation, waste, and water.
  • Electricity use (total kWh hours)
  • Natural gas usage (total kWh hours
  • Water usage (total water supplied in cubic meters)
  • Water treatment (total water treated in cubic meters)
  • Fuel (company cars) (liters purchased)
  • Travel (employees)  (receipts)
  • Waste disposal (tons of waste)

The equation is Data x Emission Factor = GHG

Read More About Carbon Footprint of Tofu


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