Honey (500g glass jar)

Material Composition Assumptions

The product consists of several components with distinct carbon profiles. The honey itself weighs approximately 500 grams and represents the primary ingredient, accounting for roughly 56% of total product weight. The glass jar weighs between 350-400 grams, comprising about 42% of overall weight and serving as the main packaging component. A metal lid or cap provides product sealing and typically weighs 15-20 grams. Paper labeling adds minimal weight but contributes to the overall packaging footprint. Secondary packaging includes a cardboard shipping box that protects the product during distribution but is excluded from the primary unit assessment.

Manufacturing Geography

Primary honey production occurs in the United States, where established beekeeping operations benefit from diverse floral sources and established supply chains. The US electrical grid operates at 401 gCO2/kWh according to EPA data, influencing processing and packaging operations. Glass jar manufacturing typically occurs near honey processing facilities to minimize transportation costs. This geographic concentration allows for integrated supply chains but creates dependency on regional transportation networks. American beekeeping operations generally demonstrate lower emission intensities compared to operations in developing regions due to established infrastructure and shorter supply chains.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment vs Default
United States	401 gCO2/kWh	62	Baseline
Argentina	366 gCO2/kWh	68	+10% (longer transport)
New Zealand	212 gCO2/kWh	55	-11% (clean grid, stationary hives)
Australia	634 gCO2/kWh	71	+15% (high grid intensity, drought feeding)
European Union	275 gCO2/kWh	58	-6% (efficient processing, shorter supply chains)

Provenance Override Guidance

1. Beekeeping system documentation specifying migratory versus stationary hive management, including annual transportation distances and frequency of hive movements.

2. Supplemental feeding records detailing sugar syrup quantities, feeding duration, and seasonal feeding patterns that directly impact production emissions.

3. Processing facility energy consumption data including electricity usage for extraction, filtration, and heating operations with renewable energy percentage breakdown.

4. Packaging specifications covering glass jar weight, manufacturing location, recycled content percentage, and transportation distance from glass facility to honey processor.

5. Distribution logistics including transportation modes, distances from processing facility to retail locations, and cold storage requirements during transit.

Methodology Notes

• The CCI score represents cradle-to-gate emissions for a complete 500-gram honey product in glass packaging, excluding end-of-life disposal or recycling.
• Scope 3 emissions dominate the footprint due to agricultural production impacts, transportation requirements, and upstream material production for packaging.
• The functional unit captures one retail-ready honey jar as typically purchased by consumers, including all primary packaging components.
• Seasonal variations in nectar availability and regional climate differences create significant uncertainty in baseline production emissions.
• Direct energy use in apiaries remains minimal, while indirect emissions from transportation and supplemental feeding create the largest impact categories.
• Packaging emissions assume virgin glass production, though recycled content could reduce overall footprint by up to fifteen percent depending on regional recycling infrastructure.