Global supply chains and domestic climate policy: Addressing the substantial material-related carbon footprint of final consumption in France

In the Global North, materials production accounts for a limited share of territorial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and national low-carbon strategies typically focus on direct emissions in the energy, transport, buildings, and agricultural sectors. However, GHG emissions from materials production represent a significant portion of global emissions and are predominantly embodied in imports for these countries. This paper estimates and maps the carbon footprint of materials production (CFM) for France, serving as a representative case study of the Global North, for both the current situation and future scenarios. Our findings indicate that in 2015, the CFM accounted for 3 tCO₂eq per capita, of which almost 90% were indirect emissions embodied in imports, while emissions from domestic materials production accounted for only 0.7 tCO₂eq per capita. The CFM is notably distributed across all final consumption sectors, including purchased services, with heterogeneous contributions from different material types. Moreover, the latest national net-zero emissions strategy is projected to reduce the total French carbon footprint by only half by 2050, with 60% of the remaining GHG emissions corresponding to an unchanged CFM from 2015 to 2050. Based on a detailed mapping of present and projected carbon footprints across supply chains and trade, we identify critical areas for policy intervention. Beyond standard international collaborations and incentives aimed at reducing the carbon content of imports (e.g., Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, climate clubs, and climate finance), domestic policies fostering greater circularity and reindustrialization, coupled with shifts toward lower-demand lifestyles, emerge as essential strategies for effectively diminishing the CFM.