The term raw materials means products extracted from nature in their raw state and that often require transformation before being used. Agricultural products such as wheat, rice and corn are examples of raw materials.

Raw materials can be used to obtain an end product. A pizza, for example, is an end product, ready for consumption, comprising several raw materials.

A Margherita pizza uses three main raw materials: wheat, tomatoes and milk. These raw materials had been transformed into flour, tomato puree and mozzarella. Each raw material followed its own route to become part of these ingredients, from the farm to the shops, via factories or manufacturing plants.

The inventory of the ingredients and the raw materials used in manufacturing pizzas allows to have an initial estimate of their impact on the environment.

Just the ingredients alone for one pizza would be responsible, for example, for the emission of nearly 300 g of CO2, which is as much as driving a car for more than 2 km.