# Which has a lower carbon footprint, a clay idol or a plaster of Paris idol?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/clay-vs-plaster-of-paris-idol-carbon

An unfired clay idol usually has the lower footprint: the clay needs little processing. Plaster of Paris is made by heating gypsum, which burns fuel. Paints, transport and the frame add to both. For a fair figure, weigh the materials and include the fuel behind the plaster.

## Where emissions come from

- Plaster of Paris: fuel to calcine gypsum.
- Clay idols: digging, transport and drying, usually small.
- Both: paints, decorations, scaffolding and transport.

## Beyond carbon

Water pollution from immersion is a separate issue from greenhouse gases; this page covers carbon only.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible reads bills, fuel invoices and production records into dated, fingerprinted records, so the figure you send a buyer can be traced to its documents.

- [Plaster of Paris calcination](https://senseible.earth/answers/plaster-of-paris-calcination-co2-per-tonne)
- [Terracotta planter](https://senseible.earth/answers/terracotta-planter-carbon-footprint-per-piece)
- [Durga puja pandal](https://senseible.earth/answers/durga-puja-pandal-carbon-footprint)

Sources: [2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/), [GHG Protocol standards, including the Product Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/standards)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.