Carbon Footprint:Plastic Bag (Single Use)
One single-use plastic bag is equivalent to:
1.58 kg CO₂e
8 km of driving
The equivalent kilometres of driving emissions in an average small petrol car. Learn more.
0.86 m³ of CO₂ gas
Carbon footprints depend on many changing factors - where something is made, the energy mix used and how far it travels - so any single product's footprint will vary. Use these figures to understand what is higher or lower, not as an exact calculation for your situation.
Amount of CO₂ Gas
Compared to the size of a human.
One single-use plastic bag is equivalent to 0.86 m³ of CO₂ gas.
Source information
- UK Environment Agency (2011) - Life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291023/scho0711buan-e-e.pdf
Per-bag footprint from UK carrier bag life cycle assessment.
Item list compiled by CO2 Everything.