# What is the carbon footprint of a solar lantern?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/solar-lantern-carbon-footprint-per-unit

Add the small solar panel, the battery (lithium-ion or lead-acid), the LED board, the plastic body and packaging. Batteries and the panel usually carry the most. If you claim it replaces a kerosene lamp, report that avoided figure separately from the lantern's own footprint.

## What to weigh

- Solar cell area or panel watt rating.
- Battery chemistry and capacity.
- Plastic body, LEDs and circuit board.

## Avoided emissions

Avoided kerosene use is not a reduction in your inventory. Show it as a separate claim with its assumptions.

## 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.

- [Solar panel embodied carbon](https://senseible.earth/answers/solar-panel-embodied-carbon-per-kwp)
- [Power bank footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/power-bank-carbon-footprint-per-unit)
- [Lead acid battery footprint](https://senseible.earth/answers/lead-acid-battery-carbon-footprint-per-unit)

Sources: [GHG Protocol standards, including the Product Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/standards), [GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-value-chain-scope-3-standard)

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.