How do I calculate the carbon footprint of an ointment tube?
Add the base ingredients and active per tube using supplier figures, the tube and carton, then the mixing, filling and clean room energy. Divide the plant's energy by tubes filled.
Inputs
- Petrolatum, waxes, oils or cream base.
- The active ingredient.
- Laminated or aluminium tube and carton.
Process
- Heating and mixing in jacketed vessels.
- Tube filling and sealing.
- Clean room air handling and packing.
Per tube
Report per tube by fill weight. HVAC for clean areas can be a large share of plant energy.
Worked example: plant energy per tube (one month)
- Electricity: 60,000 kWh x 0.710 = 42,600 kg CO2
- PNG: 3,000 SCM x 2.05 = 6,150 kg CO2
- Tubes filled: 1,000,000
- Plant total: 48,750 / 1,000,000 = 0.0488 kg CO2 per tube
- Add ingredients, tube and carton for the full figure
Inputs are illustrative; use your own bills and production records.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.
- Product carbon footprint calculator
- Laminated tube footprint
- Pharma formulation footprint
- Cosmetics footprint
- Chemical industry
Sources: GHG Protocol Product Standard, ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org), IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy (fuel defaults), CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0
Last reviewed 2026-10-21.