Stiftung Warentest: Conventional coffee is three times more harmful to the environment than organic coffee
4.3.2024
Translation: machine translated
Fewer pesticides and fertilisers make a big difference: this is shown by a StiWa study on the life cycle assessment of coffee.
In 2023, the German per capita consumption of coffee was 4.8 kilograms per year, putting Germany in tenth place worldwide. Switzerland follows in 13th place with 4.1 kilograms per person. The Stiftung Warentest thought that environmentally friendly coffee consumption could therefore be a topic of interest. It took a close look at the eco-balance of coffee and analysed which method of preparation is the most environmentally friendly. Both the coffee itself and various appliances such as fully automatic machines, filter machines etc. were assessed. The StiWa team analysed various aspects such as production or transport and assigned damage points according to their environmental impact. Many environmental damage points can be equated with a poor life cycle assessment.
As expected: single-use capsules perform worst
Most of the results of this study are unsurprising. For example, with around eight cups a day, capsule coffee from disposable capsules is the worst for the environment. Despite being recyclable, their production costs a lot of resources. For those who drink less (one cup a day), the least ecological option is the fully automatic machine, which is also due to the costly production of the machine. Even less surprising: disposable capsules are also the most expensive preparation option in the long term.
Capsule coffee with refillable capsules, on the other hand, is the most ecological way to prepare coffee - for both high and low coffee consumption. In the long term, this variant also benefits the wallet: a reusable capsule costs around 24 euros and can be used for several years after purchase.
Organic makes a clear difference
However, the foundation advises against buying a new machine now if the old one is running. After all, you are producing more waste than necessary. Only when the old machine needs to be replaced should the purchase of a new capsule machine with a refillable capsule be considered. What is more important and can be implemented immediately is to pay attention to the quality of the coffee. "You will achieve the greatest positive environmental effect if you use organically grown coffee beans instead of conventional ones," explains Stiftung Warentest. The study also showed that filter coffee made from organic beans has a better environmental footprint than that made from conventional coffee beans. This was also to be expected.
However, it is worth noting the extent of the damage: "The number of damage points fell to just under a third when the filter coffee was made with organic beans," the study concluded: the preparation of coffee with conventionally grown coffee beans had 35.4 damage points, while coffee made from organic beans only had 11.3. According to StiWa, this is mainly due to the fact that little or no fertiliser and pesticides are used on organic plantations. The best way to protect the environment is to prepare organic coffee in reusable coffee capsules. However, coffee from organic cultivation is unfortunately still rare, as the German Coffee Association points out.
Labour conditions were not taken into account
Who picks and processes the coffee and under what circumstances was not taken into account by Stiftung Warentest in its investigation. Even with organic coffee, this could be children's hands or exploited labour. A better ecological balance does not automatically mean that the workers on coffee plantations are treated better. This is what Fairtrade labels indicate. The requirements of the Fairtrade system officially prohibit child and forced labour. However, how well these are adhered to is controversial and difficult to monitor. <p
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