New study reveals how Europe can cut food system emissions and meet sustainability goals
image: Optimizing carbon emissions and SDG-12 performance in the EU food system
Credit: Mohammad Fazle Rabbi
A new study led by Dr. Mohammad Fazle Rabbi at the University of Debrecen uncovers how targeted reforms in Europe’s food systems could significantly reduce carbon emissions and accelerate progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG‑12), which promotes responsible consumption and production.
The research, published in Carbon Research (2025), analyzed data from eight European Union countries between 2010 and 2022, offering the most comprehensive assessment yet of carbon emissions across food production, processing, distribution, and consumption. The study reveals that food processing is the single largest source of emissions—averaging 30 percent of total output, and reaching over 50 percent in France and nearly 48 percent in Italy. Meanwhile, household food consumption emerges as a major contributor in Germany, Czechia, and Portugal, accounting for more than a quarter of their total emissions.
The analysis also maps how resource use and waste are deeply intertwined. Strong correlations exist between raw material consumption, food packaging, and waste disposal, highlighting systemic inefficiencies that hinder Europe’s progress toward climate neutrality. According to the study, improving recycling infrastructure, promoting renewable energy use on farms, and shifting consumer diets toward plant‑based foods could collectively reduce emissions from both food manufacturing and households by as much as 50 percent.
Using a newly developed Sustainability Index, the research identifies sharp disparities across regions. Germany consistently leads in sustainability performance, achieving index scores between 0.8 and 1.2, while Hungary and Portugal remain below zero. Countries such as France and Italy show strong progress through circular economy practices, while others lag in curbing dependence on fossil fuels and excessive raw‑material use.
Dr. Rabbi emphasizes that “sustainable transformation of Europe’s food system demands a mix of technology, teamwork, and consumer engagement.” The findings point to actionable pathways for achieving the European Green Deal’s net‑zero targets by 2050 and demonstrate where policy coordination can unlock rapid gains in efficiency.
The study concludes that rethinking food processing, investing in renewable energy, and redesigning household behaviors could cut food‑related emissions by more than one‑fifth—helping Europe build a resilient, low‑carbon food future.
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Journal Reference: Rabbi, M.F. Optimizing carbon emissions and SDG-12 performance in the EU food system. Carbon Res. 4, 54 (2025). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44246-025-00220-w
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About Carbon Research
The journal Carbon Research is an international multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on natural and engineered carbonaceous materials that are associated with ecological and environmental functions, energy generation, and global change. It is a fully Open Access (OA) journal and the Article Publishing Charges (APC) are waived until Dec 31, 2025. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient and professional platform for researchers in the field of carbon functions around the world to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science. The journal is currently indexed by Scopus and Ei Compendex, and as of June 2025, the dynamic CiteScore value is 15.4.