Most Carbon-Intensive Industries Ranked (t CO2 per Unit, 2026)

Hydrogen production9 t / t H2

Ammonia & fertilizers2 t / t NH3

Steel — BF-BOF (integrated)1.9 t / t steel

Aluminium1.6 t / t Al

Lime1.2 t / t lime

Petrochemicals1 t / t HVC

Power — coal0.95 t / MWh

Cement0.7 t / t cement

Automotive manufacturing0.6 t / vehicle

Glass0.55 t / t glass

Pharmaceuticals0.5 t / t API-eq

Pulp & paper0.45 t / t paper

Steel — EAF (electric arc)0.4 t / t steel

Textiles & dyeing0.4 t / t fabric

Power — gas (CCGT)0.37 t / MWh

Food processing0.3 t / t product

LNG & gas processing0.3 t / t LNG

Oil refining0.25 t / t crude

Ceramics & bricks0.25 t / t product

Sugar0.25 t / t sugar

District heating0.25 t / MWh heat

Dairy processing0.15 t / t milk

Brewing0.01 t / hl beer

Typical direct-emission intensities per industry page (sources on each page: IEA, worldsteel, IAI, GNR, sector associations). Units differ by product — this ranks intensity per natural unit, not comparability per euro of output.

Click any industry for its full pathway: all 23 industry pages →

⬇ This ranking (CSV)🖨 PDF for management

How this page is built: heat-loss figures follow ASTM C680 / ISO 12241 (the method behind our public calculators); facility emissions from Climate TRACE & EU ETS verified data across 30,000+ industrial sites; the 2026–2034 schedule is Regulation (EU) 2023/956, not a forecast. Published by Inzonex Research. Spotted an error? Tell us — we correct on evidence.

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The most carbon-intensive industries

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