Everyone loves pizza! But there are a few problems when it comes to sustainability: cheese, salami, packaging… Find out about the climate impact of pizza and how you can enjoy it in a sustainable way. (e.g. vegan, vegetarian like here) @M4rtine for Pixabay
Study: Frozen pizza uses little more CO2 than homemade pizza
A 2012 study of frozen foods by the Öko-Institut found that frozen pizza is less harmful to the climate than many people think:
- 100 grams of frozen pizza produces 556 to 610 grams of CO2
- 100 grams of homemade pizza produces 569 to 580 grams of CO2
Cheeses and salami are the issue
“The provision of raw ingredients (has) the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions”
According to the study, this also explains why delivery route, storage and refrigeration don’t add much to the calculation.
- 49% of a pizza’s greenhouse gases come from the cheese
- 29% from the salami
The classic base ingredients for dough and sauce have a much smaller carbon footprint. For example
- Flour: 9%.
- Tomato paste: 8%.
- Oil: 4%.
The remaining CO2 emissions (both frozen and homemade) are caused by
- Purchase (trip to the supermarket)
- Preparation (30 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees convection)
- Washing
How harmful is the packaging of a pizza to the environment?
Frozen pizzas are shrink-wrapped in plastic and come in a cardboard box. You can do without both if you make it at home. However, the fact that the individual ingredients are also packaged at home (unless you consistently buy unpackaged) means that handmade has no CO2 advantage here either. According to the study, the production and packaging of a frozen one generates 14 to 35 grams of CO2 emissions. Over the entire value chain, that’s 4%.
Pizza boxes can go in the paper bin
As confirmed by the ELW waste management companies in their waste lexicon and other sources, pizza boxes (presumably from frozen pizza as well as from the Italian restaurant) can be disposed of in the paper bin. It is important that they are not too dirty and do not contain any food leftovers (if the box is covered in melted cheese, it must be disposed of in the trash).
How can pizza be more sustainable?
The most sustainable option is to make a vegan version without cheese (and meat). You don’t need to use cheese substitutes like yeast melts or almond butter; you can simply top the dough with vegetables (preferably organic ones from your area). Make a variation like even tastier with arugula or braised onions, for example.
You can also use your bike to go shopping, try to avoid packaging, and recycle by separating your waste.
PS: Did you know that pizza in Naples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Read more in our blog:
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