A packaging and packaging waste bill could change the way we drink coffee forever. Because some capsules are in the hot seat for environmental reasons.
Coffee capsules are endangered in Europe. The European Commission proposed a ban, which went largely unnoticed by the general public. The draft new EU law on packaging and packaging waste states that coffee capsules can no longer be placed on the market unless they are compostable. This means that the current aluminum or plastic caps would no longer be allowed.
Such a ban would probably have consequences for coffee consumers. Indeed, market leader Nespresso and other suppliers are expected to completely reorient their capsule business in the world’s largest coffee market. The planned EU ban strikes a chord: aluminum or plastic coffee capsules are considered harmful to the environment as they often end up in the trash. For example, in 2018, the German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe launched a campaign for a European ban on coffee capsules.
It is not yet clear whether the ban proposed by the European Commission will make it through the legislative process in the EU Parliament and Council. The proposal is for example opposed by the professional association European Coffee Federation, of which the leader of the sector Nestlé is a member. The association argues that a ban on aluminum and plastic caps would do nothing from an environmental point of view. Moreover, compostable capsules are not a miracle solution, as they too require the establishment of a recycling infrastructure. In some countries like Germany, compostable capsules cannot yet be disposed of in the green bin due to recycling issues.
Asked about this, Nestlé points out that the group has already invested more than 300 million francs in the recycling of aluminum capsules. Achieving the goal of a circular economy requires both recycling and composting. So far, however, the recycling rate for Nespresso capsules varies greatly from region to region. It is thus only on average 30 percent globally.
Should coffee capsules be blamed for their environmental impact? Scientists aren’t so sure about that. In a recent unpublished study by researchers at the University of Quebec in Canada, the climate impact of four methods of coffee preparation were compared: filter coffee, French press, coffee capsules and soluble coffee. . These researchers considered the entire life cycle of coffee, from planting to preparation and final disposal.
According to the study, regular filter coffee in Canada has the largest carbon footprint (expressed in CO2 equivalents). Then come the French press and the coffee capsules. Soluble coffee performs best. So why do coffee capsules get such a high rating? The key factor is the amount of ground coffee used and the energy required for preparation. The Canadian study places filter coffee last, as this method requires the most ground coffee per cup and a lot of energy to heat and keep the water hot. This does not mean that coffee capsules are without problems. Aluminum or plastic capsules are difficult to recycle and are often thrown away in household waste, ending up in landfills.
