According to a study by the German Federal Environment Agency, producing one kilogram of coffee requires almost ten square meters of land. Coffee imported into Germany alone covers an area of 1.2 million hectares. Since coffee does not grow in our climate, it mostly comes from Brazil and Vietnam, which means long transport routes are unavoidable. Conventional coffee cultivation involves the use of large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides. The use of these substances is significantly lower in the production of organic coffee. The German consumer organization Stiftung Warentest has converted this aspect into damage points for filter coffee and extrapolated it over eight years. Organic coffee generates 70 percent fewer damage points than conventional coffee. Those who also pay attention to FairTrade have done something good for the producers and the environment. Sustainable management of coffee plantations serves to protect soils and waterways as well as wild animals and plants. Fair trade cultivation pays attention to the working conditions and pay of farmers.

Nowadays, there are many different ways to make your morning coffee. In addition to the ever-popular filter machine, fully automatic coffee machines, capsule or pad machines, and French presses are the most common methods of preparation. Stiftung Warentest compared these five devices. It assumed an average service life of eight years for the devices. This is also the period over which the environmental impacts were added up and compared. In the case of the French press, the use of a kettle was taken into account at one-third of the cost. The problem with this method of preparation is often that more water is heated than is needed for the coffee.

In addition to the actual device, daily coffee consumption also has a significant impact on the environment. In this calculation, a light drinker enjoys one cup of coffee (120 ml), while a heavy drinker enjoys eight cups (960 ml). In a study, Stiftung Warentest weighted the aspects of production, transport, and preparation with environmental damage points. Damage points for disposal were then deducted from this. This resulted in the following picture for the different preparation methods.

The capsule machine with refillable capsules has the best ecological balance in both cases. This is especially true when using fair trade organic coffee, as more than two-thirds of the damage points are attributable to the coffee powder.

Good to know

When it comes to the ecological balance, capsule machines with refillable capsules are the first choice for coffee preparation. Refillable capsules are now available in various designs in stores. The online magazine Utopia has looked at the everyday suitability of the products. You will find a corresponding link in the list below.

Stiftung Warentest also investigated how much a cup of coffee costs on average from the five different coffee machines. The calculation mainly took into account the price of the machine and the costs for coffee, water, and electricity. Depending on the machine, descaling agents, filter bags, and maintenance were also included in the calculation.

Unfortunately, this calculation only took into account the capsule machine with disposable capsules. It is difficult to identify a clear winner in this calculation, as there are two first places, at least for heavy drinkers. The French press performs particularly well because the machines are relatively inexpensive.

How you prefer to drink your coffee is and remains a matter of taste. Unfortunately, the two tests listed do not take into account some other preparation methods, such as the screw-top pot or the hand filter. A good idea for keeping the ecological footprint of your coffee small is to enjoy fair trade organic coffee. You can decide for yourself how much the taste influenced by the device is worth to you. You can view the complete reports from Stiftung Warentest at the Mainz Environmental Store.