If you are like us, then you won’t be able to function without your morning cuppa! But did you know that your brew could be having a negative impact on the environment?
Tea is the most popular beverage in the world (after water), whilst coffee is the drink of choice in many countries. With billions of cups of tea and coffee consumed every day it’s essential to consider the impact your cuppa has on our planet.
1. Ground Coffee v Instant Coffee Cuppa
Choosing natural ground coffee for your cuppa is a better choice for the environment than drinking instant coffee. This is because the dehydration process uses an enormous amount of energy.
Both coffees start life the same way – with roasted coffee beans – but the similarity ends there. Natural ground coffee is just that. However, instant coffee beans are brewed at high temperatures in extraction equipment, filtered and concentrated, then freeze-dried.
We have drunk ground coffee for years. To be honest, this is because we prefer the taste of it, and not because we were trying to be environmentally friendly.
People think ground coffee is expensive because a jar of instant home-brand coffee costs a few dollars. But seriously who likes drinking that stuff? Do the environment, and your taste buds, a favour and consider switching your cuppa.
2. Caffeinated v Decaffeinated Cuppa
Another issue to consider is the decaffeinated coffee manufacturing process. Personally, we don’t see the point of drinking decaffeinated coffee! It’s all about the caffeine for us, but each to their own.
There are currently four methods for producing decaffeinated coffee:
- The Direct-Solvent Process;
- The Indirect-Solvent Process;
- The Swiss Water Process;
- The Carbon Dioxide Process.
The Direct-Solvent method removes caffeine using a chemical solvent. This is usually methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. The Indirect-Solvent method uses hot water, and then a chemical to extract the caffeine.
As the name suggests, the Swiss Water Method uses a water extraction method to decaffeinate the beans. While the Carbon Dioxide Method forces carbon dioxide into the beans at high pressure to extract the caffeine.
If you must drink a decaffeinated cuppa, then chose one that has been decaffeinated using the water or carbon dioxide methods. These choices are better for the environment. They may also be better for you as chemical solvents are possible carcinogens.
3. Brewing Your Cuppa
The method you chose for brewing your coffee can also have negative implications for our planet.
Coffee machines and devices often have environmentally damaging accessories like filter papers and coffee pods. We use a coffee plunger to make our cuppa which is one of the better (and cheaper) options.
If you have a filter coffee machine, buy unbleached, reusable cotton filters or unbleached, disposable paper ones. Chorine based bleaching leaves dioxin residues in the filter and the environment. It is also possible to purchase a reusable mesh for some machines.
The metaphoric rise of the coffee pod machine (with a little help from George Clooney) is also causing a significant global environmental problem. Billions of capsules end up in landfill each year around the world.
Plastic capsules can take more than 500 years to degrade. Even aluminium capsules can take 200 years to break down. So the pod from your morning cuppa could outlive many generations of your family!
Reduce your impact on the planet by purchasing 100% biodegradable capsules or reuseable pods. Alternatively, you can collect your pods and participate in a recycling program.
4. Pesticides and Coffee Production
Farmers use significant amounts of chemicals on coffee plantations around the world. These chemicals kill pests, prevent diseases and improve crop yields.
The roasting process dilutes most of the harmful effects for consumers. However, the chemicals can still have significant impacts on the environment and those working on or living near plantations. Chemicals used to grow coffee include:
- Methyl Parathion;
- Endosulfan;
- Chlorpyrifos;
- Triadimefon.
Methyl Parathion is an insecticide previously used in coffee production. It is now banned in many countries because it is toxic to humans, fish and animals that eat fish.
Endosulfan takes a long time to break down in the soil. It is toxic to insects and mammals, including humans, attacking their central nervous systems. Luckily, most countries have also now banned it.
Chlorpyrifos is toxic to birds, highly toxic to fish and has caused birth defects in humans. Unfortunately, it is still widely used in agriculture.
Triadimefon is a copper-based fungicide that is toxic to birds. It causes copper to accumulate in the soil with long-term use. Copper toxicity can then transfer to other crops grown in these soils.
Many harmful chemicals are now highly regulated in the western world; this is not so in less developed countries. It can also take many years for toxic chemicals to break down in soil even after usage ceases.
Consider buying traditional coffees, e.g. from Ethiopia, grown without chemicals. The best option, if you can afford it, is to buy a certified organic coffee for your cuppa.
5. Plastic in Tea Bags
So, you prefer a cup of tea in the morning rather than a coffee? Well, you’re not off the hook when it comes to the potential impact your cuppa has on the environment.
Traditionally, tea bags were made from paper derived from Abacá (a type of banana tree). However, in more recent times tea companies have been using nylon and PET to make their tea bags.
Nylon and plastic will not biodegrade. There is also concern that chemicals from these bags could leach into the tea during the brewing process.
Even if the tea bag itself does not contain plastic, polypropylene is often used to seal the edges. This means that only 70-80% of it is biodegradable.
It is also important to consider the packaging of your tea. Plastic wrapped boxes and individually wrapped tea bags are all contributing to landfill. Some tea bags also have unnecessary metal staples connecting the string to the bag.
Environmentally friendly options for your cuppa include:
- Buying loose-leaf tea and using a teapot or stainless-steel infuser;
- Using unbleached natural fibre tea bags;
- Choosing heat-sealed tea bags;
- Using tea bags with organic cotton stitching;
- Avoiding plastic wrapped tea bags and boxes;
- Choosing tea bags without staples.
6. Pesticides and Tea Production
The humid climates in which tea grows are ideal for pests to flourish. This means that, just like coffee, farmers will use pesticides and insecticides to reduce crop loss.
Pesticides used for growing tea include:
- Bifenthrin;
- Acetamiprid;
- Chlorfenapyr;
- Dicofol;
- Monocrotophos.
Bifenthrin and Dicofol are both highly toxic to aquatic life. Therefore, chemical runoff into waterways is a serious concern. Dicofol is also chemically related to DDT and causes egg thinning in some species of birds.
Chlorfenapyr, Acetamiprid and Monocrotophos are acutely toxic to birds. Acetamiprid is also toxic to earthworms. Monocrotophos is not only acutely toxic to birds but also humans; it is banned in many countries.
Demand for tea is enormous. However, countries that produce the most may not have regulations in place to control the use of harmful chemicals. This includes chemicals that are banned in other parts of the world.
Many tea products contain traces of pesticide residue. The residues in both dry tea leaves and steeped tea are alarming. Herbal teas may seem like a better alternative for your cuppa; however, they are often grown using lots of chemicals in soil-free glasshouses.
Switching to organically grown, loose leaf tea or tea that is Rainforest Alliance Certified is the best choice for the environment and your health.
7. The Tea Drying Process
Surprisingly, the method for drying and processing tea also requires a lot of energy.
Once picked tea naturally begins to wilt as the moisture content of the tea leaves reduces. Laying the tea out in the sun accelerates the drying process, a technique known as withering. Withering starts the fermentation which develops the aroma and flavour of your cuppa.
Once the tea leaves reach the processing facility, the withering process is controlled. Air-flow, humidity and temperature are all monitored. Often the air is heated to speed up the drying process, usually using fuels such as wood or gas.
In less developed countries, firewood is using for the drying process which can lead to severe deforestation. It takes between 1.5 and 2.5 kilograms of wood to produce 1 kilogram of dried tea.
In countries where electricity is expensive and unreliable, many tea factories use backup diesel generators which pollute the environment.
Encouraging the use of renewable power sources, such as solar and water, is the way forward.
8. Deforestation and Tea Production
Tea is a monoculture crop (and so is coffee) which results in the clearing of vast expanses of forests and productive farmland.
Monoculture plantations have a significant impact on the biodiversity of plant and animal life. Tea plantations have even threatened endangered species in some countries. They also provide the perfect breeding grounds for pests, and more pests mean more pesticides.
Intensive farming reduces the productivity of the soil. The land does not have a chance to replenish, and soil degradation is a significant issue. Poor soil quality means even more fertiliser and chemicals usage, further compounding the problem.
Natural pesticides are available, however, in many tea growing regions poverty is a significant factor. Farmers do not have the resources to consider a long-term investment in soil renewal and the environment.
Again, choosing Rainforest Alliance Certified products for your cuppa can combat some of these issues. The Rainforest Alliance website states the following:
On Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, dangerous and banned pesticides are phased out and alternatives (such as manual weeding) are promoted; farmers plant vegetative barriers to capture agrochemical run-off and plant grasses on steep banks to prevent erosion; wastewater is treated. The Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard provides farmers with these and other concrete tools to reverse environmental degradation and restore the health of the soil.
Final Thoughts
This post highlights just a few of the environmental and health issues surrounding the consumption of our daily cuppas. However, with a bit of research, there are simple steps we can take to reduce the impact on the earth and ourselves.
If you want a genuinely sustainable morning cuppa then you should also consider the following:
- Buying locally to reduce food mileage;
- Drinking black tea or coffee to avoid the impact dairy farming has on the environment;
- Boiling just enough water for your morning cuppa, nothing more, to reduce your energy usage.
Who would have thought that so much went into quenching not only our morning thirst but also our need for caffeine!
