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Carbon Emissions: Imports

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 7 July 2026UIN 15183

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in emissions embedded in imported goods consumed in the UK since 1996.

Answered by Mary Creagh

Defra publishes annual data on greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods and services imported into the UK here as part of the UK and England’s Carbon Footprint.

The latest estimates show that in 2023, greenhouse gas emissions embedded in imported goods and services accounted for 371 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent or 53% of the UK’s total carbon footprint, up from 259 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent or 31% of the UK’s total carbon footprint in 1996.

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