Carbon footprint and carbon neutrality pathway of green tea in China

With the rising popularity of the concept of “carbon neutralization”, low-carbon products are likely to gain more advantages. Related to this, green tea— an important beverage that is widely consumed in China—along with emissions from planting, processing, and use phase should be given attention. Meanwhile, quantifying the carbon footprint (CF) of green tea is an essential task in developing the pathway to carbon neutrality. In this study, we quantified the CF and mitigation potential of green tea through life cycle assessment, after which we investigated the pathway toward carbon neutrality in 16 major tea-producing regions (except Hainan and Taiwan) in China. The system boundary was divided into six subsystems from cradle to grave: cultivation, processing, transport, packaging, consumption, and disposal. The results showed that the total carbon emissions of green tea reached 44.13 Mt CO2eq in 2019, of which 43% came from consumption and 28% from cultivation. There were 18.78 Mt CO2eq emissions from fertilizer production and application, while there was a 7.71 Mt CO2eq carbon sink of tea trees. The average carbon intensity was 24.30 kg CO2eq kg−1 tea, while Shandong and Guizhou ranked as the top two provinces. Sichuan, Hubei, and Yunnan Provinces had the largest amounts of carbon emissions at 6.79, 6.14, and 5.96 Mt CO2eq, respectively. By 2030, 2050 and 2060, total carbon emissions would be reduced by 46%, 63%, and 86%, respectively, under carbon neutrality assumption. A small amount of 6.14 Mt CO2eq carbon emissions was retained to be offset by carbon trading or zero-carbon cultivation. Finally, the results indicate that adopting low-carbon fertilizers and clean energies will be a key entry point for carbon-neutral green tea.