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Global supply chains and domestic climate policy Addressing the substantial material-related carbon footprint of final consumption in France

Author

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  • Antoine Teixeira

    (ADEME - Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie, CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Julien Lefèvre

    (CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

In the Global North, materials production accounts for a limited share of territorial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and national low-carbon strategies typically focus on direct emissions in the energy, transport, buildings, and agricultural sectors. However, GHG emissions from materials production represent a significant portion of global emissions and are predominantly embodied in imports for these countries. This paper estimates and maps the carbon footprint of materials production (CFM) for France, serving as a representative case study of the Global North, for both the current situation and future scenarios. Our findings indicate that in 2015, the CFM accounted for 3 tCO 2 eq per capita, of which almost 90% were indirect emissions embodied in imports, while emissions from domestic materials production accounted for only 0.7 tCO 2 eq per capita. The CFM is notably distributed across all final consumption sectors, including purchased services, with heterogeneous contributions from different material types. Moreover, the latest national net-zero emissions strategy is projected to reduce the total French carbon footprint by only half by 2050, with 60% of the remaining GHG emissions corresponding to an unchanged CFM from 2015 to 2050. Based on a detailed mapping of present and projected carbon footprints across supply chains and trade, we identify critical areas for policy intervention. Beyond standard international collaborations and incentives aimed at reducing the carbon content of imports (e.g., Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, climate clubs, and climate finance), domestic policies fostering greater circularity and reindustrialization, coupled with shifts toward lower-demand lifestyles, emerge as essential strategies for effectively diminishing the CFM.

Suggested Citation

  • Antoine Teixeira & Julien Lefèvre, 2025. "Global supply chains and domestic climate policy Addressing the substantial material-related carbon footprint of final consumption in France," Post-Print hal-04985312, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04985312
    DOI: 10.1111/jiec.70001
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04985312v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kirsten Svenja Wiebe & Eivind Lekve Bjelle & Johannes Többen & Richard Wood, 2018. "Implementing exogenous scenarios in a global MRIO model for the estimation of future environmental footprints," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 7(1), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Richard Wood & Konstantin Stadler & Moana Simas & Tatyana Bulavskaya & Stefan Giljum & Stephan Lutter & Arnold Tukker, 2018. "Growth in Environmental Footprints and Environmental Impacts Embodied in Trade: Resource Efficiency Indicators from EXIOBASE3," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(3), pages 553-564, June.
    3. Richard Wood & Karsten Neuhoff & Dan Moran & Moana Simas & Michael Grubb & Konstantin Stadler, 2020. "The structure, drivers and policy implications of the European carbon footprint," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(S1), pages 39-57, April.
    4. Glenn A. Aguilar-Hernandez & Carlos Pablo Sigüenza-Sanchez & Franco Donati & João F. D. Rodrigues & Arnold Tukker, 2018. "Assessing circularity interventions: a review of EEIOA-based studies," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 7(1), pages 1-24, December.
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