Calculating the carbon footprint

To calculate tofu's carbon footprint, I first identified a local tofu factory, in this case Denver Tofu (which sadly, is no longer in existence), whose products are readily available in my local Whole Foods and are made just down the road in Denver.

Their beans, I found, came from a processor called Harmony Agricultural Products in Ohio. Tofu requires food-grade soybeans, usually non-GMO and organic, most of which are grown on farms in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana—not Colorado. As such, Denver Tofu sources from Harmony Agricultural Products in Marysville, Ohio, which in turn contracts with soy farmers to produce beans with just the right protein and moisture content to make for good eating.
Case Study: One pound of organic Denver Tofu

Taking the feedback I received from a farmer, the processor, and Denver Tofu, I came up with the following calculations for the CO2 equivalent produced to make a pound of organic tofu from Denver Tofu:

  • Farm inputs, including natural fertilizer and diesel: .0054
  • Average transportation from farm to Ohio processing plant: .0147
  • Energy and fuel use at processing plant: .0021
  • Transportation from plant to Denver Tofu: .2246
  • Energy use at Denver Tofu: .5501
  • Transportation from Denver Tofu to my local Whole Foods: .0116
Total for one pound of organic tofu: .8085 pounds CO2 equivalent 
For a full explanation of calculations, including assumptions, see the Carbon Calculations page
Average: One pound of tofu

To get a fuller vision of how the footprint might be different depending on the soybeans' state of origin and farmers' techniques, I tracked down some information from the USDA about energy and fuel inputs, per acre, on both organic and conventional soy farms. I averaged inputs from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, the states from which Harmony Agricultural Products sources their soybeans.

The following are calculations for the CO2 equivalent produced to make an average pound of tofu:

  • Average farm inputs, including diesel, electricity, etc.: .0109
  • Average transportation from farm to Ohio processing plant: .0147
  • Energy and fuel use at processing plant: .0021
  • Transportation from plant to Denver Tofu: .2246
  • Energy use at Denver Tofu: .5501
  • Transportation from Denver Tofu to my local Whole Foods: .0116
Average total for one pound of tofu: .814 pounds CO2 equivalent 
For a full explanation of calculations, including assumptions, see the Carbon Calculations page