NEW YORK - s4story -- Arbor, a carbon accounting platform that helps businesses measure and reduce emissions, has released a comprehensive environmental analysis of the holiday season.

Using its industrial-grade Product Carbon Footprint methodology, Arbor analyzed the "Santa Supply Chain" to showcase the significant environmental impact hidden within global manufacturing.

The study confirms that despite zero-emission transport, the Scope 3 emissions from producing billions of gifts create a massive carbon footprint.

The Data: Manufacturing at a Global Scale
Using the same bottom-up calculation engine used for industrial clients, Arbor modelled the emissions for common gift categories, assuming a distribution to 2 billion children globally. The findings illustrate the massive scale of Scope 3 emissions:

• Plush Toy: 1.32 kg CO2e
• Plastic Building Block Set: 2.50 kg CO2e
• Plastic Fashion Doll: 0.17 kg CO2e

Arbor estimates the total carbon footprint for this level of global gift production to be approximately 2,660,000,000 kg CO2e.

More on S For Story

• TheOneLofi2: New Home for Chill Lo-Fi Hip Hop Beats Launches on YouTube
• This Christmas 2025, Virginia Veterans Can Make Their Book For Free
• eJoule Inc Participates in Silicon Dragon CES 2026
• HBZBZL Unveils "Intelligent Ecosystem" Strategy: Integrating AI Analytics with Web3 Incubation
• Kaltra Launches Next-Gen MCHEdesign With Full Integration Into MCHEselect — Instant Simulation & Seamless Microchannel Coil Workflow

To put this figure into perspective, this single night of gift delivery represents an emissions equivalent of:

• Charging over 323 billion smartphones.
• Powering the electricity for 517,568 homes for a full year.
• Driving 591,931 gas-powered vehicles for a year.
• Approximately 53% of the total annual emissions of a small industrialized nation.

Sustainable Traditions: Trees and Decor
The report also provides data-driven insights into common holiday debates, proving that consumer choices significantly alter the season's environmental impact:

• Real vs. Artificial Trees: A real tree has a footprint of approximately 8.47 kg CO2e, provided it is sourced locally to minimize transport emissions. An artificial tree has a much higher upfront cost of 72.31 kg CO2e. Data suggests an artificial tree must be reused for a minimum of nine years to become more sustainable than buying a new real tree annually.
• Ornaments: Glass ornaments (0.22 kg CO2e) are significantly more sustainable than plastic alternatives (0.38 kg CO2e), boasting nearly half the carbon footprint.
• Wrapping: While fabric wrapping (1.51 kg CO2e) is often viewed as a sustainable alternative, Arbor's data indicates it must be reused many times to outperform the low impact of recycled paper (0.06 kg CO2e).

"This analysis demonstrates that you cannot reduce what you do not measure," said Abdullah Choudhry, Co-Founder & Chief Impact Officer at Arbor

More on S For Story

• A Well-Fed World, Youth Climate Save and PAN International Launch PHRESH: A Global Directory of Plant-Based Hunger Relief Organizations
• 4-Hour Work Day: Jon Robert Quinn Challenges Hustle Culture and Redefines Entrepreneurial Success
• New Book "Downsize With Dignity" Helps Missouri Families Navigate Senior Moves
• Guests Can Save 25 Percent Off Last Minute Bookings at KeysCaribbean's Village at Hawks Cay Villas
• Trump's Executive Order Rescheduling Cannabis: Accelerating M&A in a Multibillion-Dollar Industry

"Whether managing a global retail supply chain or a workshop at the North Pole, the principle remains the same. By understanding the hotspots in a product lifecycle, from raw materials to end-of-life, organizations can make data-backed decisions that drastically lower their environmental impact."

Learn more about measuring your supply chain emissions, visit Arbor (https://www.arbor.eco/) or schedule a free consultation (https://www.arbor.eco/demo) with our carbon experts.