The carbon footprint of private households amounted to 540 million tonnes in 2021. Thus, 6.5 tonnes of CO2 were emitted per capita to meet the consumer demand from private households in Germany.
Direct emissions, for example due to the use of cars with combustion engine or the heating of living space, account for 39 % (211 million tonnes) of the footprint. The remaining 61 % (329 million tonnes) are emitted during production processes of consumer goods such as chemical products or electricity used by households. 61 % of these indirect emissions (200 million tonnes) arise from production processes in Germany, whereas 39 % (128 million tonnes) are caused abroad. On the one hand, emissions abroad occur during the production of goods that are imported to Germany to be used for final consumption of private households (60 million tonnes) immediately. On the other hand, emissions abroad occur during the production of intermediate goods that are imported to Germany for further processing before final consumption (68 million tonnes). Among the imported intermediate goods, the largest share of emissions is caused by the demand for chemical products (11 million tonnes).
The numbers refer to the year 2021. The carbon footprint of private households decreased by 17 % since 2010. During this period, the emissions from production processes in Germany fell the most (28 %).
Household demand is not the only source of CO2 emissions worldwide. Another 140 million tonnes are caused by the production of goods for gross fixed capital formation (e.g. machinery and buildings). A somewhat smaller part (75 million tonnes) is attributed to consumption of the government and NPISH (non-profit institutions serving households). 641 million tonnes of CO2 are emitted in Germany and abroad for the production of our export goods.
Further information:
Further results can be found in the statistical report “Umweltökonomische Gesamtrechnungen (UGR) - Indirekte CO2-Emissionen und Indirekte Energieflüsse“ (only available in German) and on the website of the Federal Statistical Office under the heading “energy flows, emissions”.