Our addiction to single shot coffee capsules is not good for the environment, because of the energy to grow the beans, make the capsules, brew the coffee, and dispose of the waste. But there’s an upside: capsules turn out to be a more sustainable way of drinking espresso than nearly any other method of making coffee. And according to new research, recyclable aluminium pods are more environmentally friendly than all other capsules, whether they are made from plastic or compostable materials.
These capsules, whether from Nespresso, Lavazza, Illy, Bosch Tassimo, Keurig, Nestle or a bevy of smaller companies, have quickly conquered the world; even connoisseurs and many Michelin-starred restaurants have opted for them.
In the US alone, sales of coffee pod machines have soared during the past decade, from 1.8 million units in 2008 to 20.7 million in 2018, according to market research firm Euromonitor. By now, more than 40 per cent of US households own an espresso pod machine; in the UK, it’s nearly one third. Green campaigners, however, have been critical of the rapid adoption of the coffee capsule, criticising the deluge of waste streaming from the pod-powered coffee makers. According to research by Halo, a British producer of compostable coffee capsules, every minute about 39,000 of these pods are made worldwide, while up to 29,000 are dumped in landfill sites.
It looks bad for the environment, but that’s not the whole story. To understand the environmental impact of feeding our coffee habit, it’s important to life-cycle assessment studies for the full range of coffee-making methods. Alf Hill, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Bath, looked at all the stages of coffee production, from growing the beans to disposal of waste, assessing the impact on ecosystems, climate change, and water.