Arbor Measures the Carbon Footprint of Christmas: New Environmental Impact of Holiday Gift-Giving

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Carbon accounting platform Arbor analyzes the emissions behind 2 billion gifts and common holiday choices to showcase the importance of supply chain sustainability.

NEW YORK - Rezul -- Arbor, a carbon accounting platform that helps businesses measure and reduce emissions, has released a comprehensive environmental analysis of the holiday season.

Using its industrial-grade Product Carbon Footprint methodology, Arbor analyzed the "Santa Supply Chain" to showcase the significant environmental impact hidden within global manufacturing.

The study confirms that despite zero-emission transport, the Scope 3 emissions from producing billions of gifts create a massive carbon footprint.

The Data: Manufacturing at a Global Scale
Using the same bottom-up calculation engine used for industrial clients, Arbor modelled the emissions for common gift categories, assuming a distribution to 2 billion children globally. The findings illustrate the massive scale of Scope 3 emissions:
  • Plush Toy: 1.32 kg CO2e
  • Plastic Building Block Set: 2.50 kg CO2e
  • Plastic Fashion Doll: 0.17 kg CO2e

Arbor estimates the total carbon footprint for this level of global gift production to be approximately 2,660,000,000 kg CO2e.

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To put this figure into perspective, this single night of gift delivery represents an emissions equivalent of:
  • Charging over 323 billion smartphones.
  • Powering the electricity for 517,568 homes for a full year.
  • Driving 591,931 gas-powered vehicles for a year.
  • Approximately 53% of the total annual emissions of a small industrialized nation.

Sustainable Traditions: Trees and Decor
The report also provides data-driven insights into common holiday debates, proving that consumer choices significantly alter the season's environmental impact:
  • Real vs. Artificial Trees: A real tree has a footprint of approximately 8.47 kg CO2e, provided it is sourced locally to minimize transport emissions. An artificial tree has a much higher upfront cost of 72.31 kg CO2e. Data suggests an artificial tree must be reused for a minimum of nine years to become more sustainable than buying a new real tree annually.
  • Ornaments: Glass ornaments (0.22 kg CO2e) are significantly more sustainable than plastic alternatives (0.38 kg CO2e), boasting nearly half the carbon footprint.
  • Wrapping: While fabric wrapping (1.51 kg CO2e) is often viewed as a sustainable alternative, Arbor's data indicates it must be reused many times to outperform the low impact of recycled paper (0.06 kg CO2e).

"This analysis demonstrates that you cannot reduce what you do not measure," said Abdullah Choudhry, Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer at Arbor

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"Whether managing a global retail supply chain or a workshop at the North Pole, the principle remains the same. By understanding the hotspots in a product lifecycle, from raw materials to end-of-life, organizations can make data-backed decisions that drastically lower their environmental impact."

Learn more about measuring your supply chain emissions, visit Arbor (https://www.arbor.eco/) or schedule a free consultation (https://www.arbor.eco/demo) with our carbon experts.

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***@arbor.eco


Source: Arbor
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