Canned Beans (400g steel can)

Material Composition Assumptions

A typical 400-gram canned bean product consists of several key components with distinct carbon footprints. The steel can itself weighs approximately 45 grams and represents the largest emission source despite being only 11 percent of the total weight. The cooked beans comprise roughly 240 grams or 60 percent of the product weight, while the liquid medium accounts for 115 grams or 29 percent. Internal can coatings made from epoxy phenolic or oleoresinous materials add minimal weight but require energy-intensive chemical processing. The steel closure mechanism with its compound seal represents the final component at negligible weight but contributes to manufacturing complexity.

Manufacturing Geography

Most canned bean production occurs in North America, where agricultural proximity to major pulse-growing regions reduces transportation costs while steel production benefits from established industrial infrastructure. The regional grid intensity of 429 kgCO2e per megawatt-hour reflects a mixed energy portfolio dominated by natural gas and coal generation. This manufacturing concentration exists because major bean-growing areas in the Midwest align with steel production centers around the Great Lakes region. Food safety regulations also favor domestic processing facilities that can meet stringent thermal processing requirements for shelf-stable products.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment vs Default
North America (US/Canada)	429 kgCO2e/MWh	48	Baseline
European Union	296 kgCO2e/MWh	41	-15%
China	644 kgCO2e/MWh	58	+21%
Brazil	167 kgCO2e/MWh	35	-27%
Southeast Asia	523 kgCO2e/MWh	52	+8%

Provenance Override Guidance

1. Submit energy consumption data for thermal processing operations including retorting temperatures, duration cycles, and natural gas consumption per batch to verify canning process emissions.

2. Provide steel sourcing documentation including mill certifications, recycled content percentages, and primary aluminum sourcing regions for tinplate production to assess can manufacturing impacts.

3. Supply agricultural origin data for bean varieties including cultivation region, farming practices, irrigation requirements, and transportation distances from farm to processing facility.

4. Document facility-specific electricity consumption patterns with utility provider carbon intensity factors and renewable energy procurement agreements to calculate accurate scope 2 emissions.

5. Include end-of-life recycling partnerships and take-back programs that demonstrate actual steel recovery rates exceeding regional averages for packaging materials.

Methodology Notes

• The CCI score represents cradle-to-gate emissions through completion of manufacturing and packaging, excluding consumer use and disposal phases since beans require no additional preparation energy
• Scope 3 dominance reflects the supply chain intensity of steel production and agricultural inputs, while scope 2 captures electricity consumption during thermal processing operations
• The functional unit encompasses one complete 400-gram packaged product as sold at retail, including all packaging components and processing liquid
• Excluded factors include retail refrigeration, consumer transportation, can opening energy, and recycling infrastructure since these vary significantly by geography and consumer behavior
• Data gaps exist around internal coating chemistry variations and their thermal decomposition products during retorting processes that may influence actual emissions