As coffee consumption continues to rise, it’s all the more important to make your coffee routine more eco-friendly.
If you, like me, are a coffee lover, there are many simple ways you can make your coffee routine more eco-friendly while still enjoying your favorite cup.
1. Brew coffee at home
One way to make your coffee routine more eco-friendly is to brew your own coffee.
Choosing to drink your coffee at home instead of buying it from a café reduces your carbon emissions (if you drive to the café to get your coffee). It also probably reduces the amount of waste you produce because you won’t need a paper to-go cup, straw, or sleeve.
2. Buy local coffee beans
If you want to be more eco-friendly in your coffee brewing routine, buy your beans from a local coffee roaster. This eliminates the need for global shipping. You’ll also be supporting small, local businesses.
In other words, don’t assume that all local coffee beans are eco-friendly. Make sure the roaster/coffee shop buys its green coffee from farms that support ethical and sustainable farming practices.
Instead of buying from a brand that mass-produces their coffee and ships it across the country, buying from your local coffee roaster will reduce your carbon footprint and give you a chance to taste something locally produced while supporting small businesses in your area.
3. Skip the pods and capsules
Pod and capsule systems are not very eco-friendly. This includes Nespresso, Keurig, and the like.
This is because most coffee pods can’t be recycled, or they’re not easy to recycle. Some capsules are recyclable, but you have to take them to a collection point. So this single-serve system creates more waste than many other brewing methods.
4. Shop around for ethical coffee, and choose carefully
Ethically-sourced coffee or ethical coffee is a term used to describe coffee that was produced in a way that maintained respect for the person growing it as well as the environment.
Looking only at labels is not the best solution for finding out if coffee is ethically sourced. There is no easy answer for this question. Here are a few things you can do:
- Don’t just look for a Fairtrade label. It’s important to for these labels instead or in addition to: Rainforest Alliance Certified, USDA Organic, UTZ Certified, Bird-Friendly Certified.
- Buy from local, small businesses versus from large chains.
- Buy coffee beans from sources that are known for their ethical policies. Ethical Consumer has a list of most ethical coffees and Honest Grounds has a good list as well.
- Contact the coffee companies you buy from directly and ask about their supply chains.
5. Brew your coffee with a manual brew method
If you want to reduce energy use when brewing your coffee, the best bet is to use a non-electric brewer. This includes instruments such as Chemex, Origami, AeroPress, and French press.
Manually brewed coffee gives you more control over the amount of coffee you make, so you don’t end up wasting any.
Another benefit of manual brewing is that they are built to last. This is quite different from drip machines which are often made of mostly plastic and break quite easily. They also use way more energy than manual brew methods.
6. Fair trade coffee
When you buy “fair trade” coffee, you are supporting coffee production that meets strict standards designed to protect the environment and ensure that everyone involved in the growing and processing of the coffee is fairly compensated.
When you are looking for coffee brands, look for the “Fair Trade Certified” logo. This logo means that the coffee farmers have direct long-term contracts with international buyers. This allows the farmers to maintain a stable family farming business and reinvest in a quality product. The workers also have fair labor conditions. Some of the best roasts in the world are from brands that produce fair trade coffee.
7. Organic coffee
Coffee is one of the most chemically treated foods in the world, and it’s estimated that every acre of coffee gets treated with more than 250 pounds of agricultural chemicals, including synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals can damage the local land and surrounding waterways where the coffee beans are grown, and they can also pose a health risk to the farmers who are spraying and harvesting the crops.
Organic coffee is coffee that is grown without any chemicals. This means that no pesticides, no synthetic flavoring or chemicals added, just pure coffee. Coffee is grown with organic fertilizers such as compost. Fortunately, most coffee producers today pride themselves on producing organic coffee beans which only add to their amazing flavor profile.
8. Avoid big brand coffee
There are many coffee chain companies located on nearly every street corner, shopping center, and restaurant. The brands that sell their coffee in giant tubs at the grocery store are well known.
You can make your coffee more eco-friendly by avoiding coffee from big corporations. These companies contribute to a large carbon footprint when producing their coffee, and they are linked to deforestation for the growing of their coffee beans. Local farmers are often exploited by these larger companies, receiving little compensation and being overworked, while the companies make huge profits.
Big brand coffee chains have noticed the consumer’s need for a sustainable and eco-friendly product and have made pledges to make their coffee ethically sourced. However, it is still unclear if these chains are actually following through on their promises. To be sure that you are getting a sustainable and ethical product, choose organic and fair trade certified coffee.
9. Reusable coffee cup
If you are a coffee drinker who is religious, chances are you already have a reusable coffee cup or mug. A reusable coffee cup or mug is an excellent way to reduce your waste. They function well in all situations, whether you are at home, on the go, or while at work.
You can find eco-friendly reusable coffee cups from many online retailers. The cups come in materials like stainless steel, bamboo, and glass, so you can find one that will suit your needs. Whether you want a hot coffee on a chilly morning or an iced coffee on a hot afternoon, you can find a reusable cup that will work for you.
10. Reusable filter
If you want to save some paper, try using a reusable coffee filter next time you make coffee at home.
Reduce the amount of coffee you throw away and save some money by investing in a reusable coffee filter. These filters, which are often made from eco-friendly stainless steel, can simply be thrown in the dishwasher for cleaning. They come in a variety of sizes to fit all types of coffee makers, even coffee pod machines.
11. Compost coffee grounds
If you have leftover coffee grounds, don’t throw them away! You can compost them instead.
Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic waste matter. By redistributing it back into the soil, it can naturally biodegrade and add nutrients back to the earth. Coffee grounds can be composted along with other organic foods in the kitchen. Many municipalities have a compost collection bin, but you can also start composting in your own backyard.
12. Avoid single-use coffee
Coffee chains are one of the biggest producers of plastic waste due to their use of single-use cups, lids, straws, and sleeves. Just one order of coffee can produce a lot of waste!
I love the convenience of coffee pods, but they contain plastic which makes them difficult to recycle. Most coffee pods end up in the landfill because it is not convenient to scrape out the coffee grounds. This excessive waste of plastic and paper can be avoided.
It’s not necessary to avoid all large coffee chains, but you can lessen waste by bringing your own reusable cup and saying “no straw, please.” It’s actually faster to have your cup filled up than to wait for your drink to be made in a single-use cup. There are also other ways to brew your coffee at home that don’t require a machine.
13. Don’t heat more water than necessary
To make your coffee using a manual brew method, you will need to heat up some water. To save energy, only heat up the amount of water you need for your batch of coffee.
One way to make sure you are using the right amount of water is to measure it out before adding it to the kettle. This is especially important if you are using a manual brew method.
If you do not have a scale to weigh your ingredients, you can mark your kettle with the amount of ingredients you use most often.
14. Better yet, make cold brew!
To make a more environmentally friendly cup of coffee, cold brew coffee is the way to go. There is no need to heat any water, which saves energy. To make a batch of cold brew, combine coffee grounds and room temperature filtered water in a large mason jar or pitcher and allow it to sit overnight. The next morning, use a cheesecloth to filter the grounds. The only waste is the coffee grounds, which can be repurposed.
15. Reuse your coffee bags or send them to TerraCycle
However, some companies are coming up with creative solutions to this problem. Some are using reusable coffee bags made with a single type of easily recyclable material. Unfortunately, many coffee bags cannot be recycled because they are made from multiple materials that are difficult to separate. Some companies are using reusable coffee bags made from a single type of recyclable material as a solution to this problem.
If you don’t want to throw your coffee bags in the trash, you can reuse them. Some people have been very creative and have used them as planters, lunch boxes, and even an upcycled tote bag.
If you’re not crafty, you can sign up with TerraCycle. This company collects used coffee bags and separates the materials into metals, fibers, and plastics. All of these are separately melted down to be recycled, composted, or molded into new products.
Final thoughts
Annually, over 12 billion pounds of coffee are consumed. Lowering the environmental impact of your daily coffee routine is possible with an eco-friendly mentality. Hopefully, you were able to find at least one way to make your routine more friendly to the environment. Have a great coffee experience while being mindful of the planet!