Are Kenco Eco Refills really more environmentally friendly?

quickbeam

I would have thought it would be better to buy the coffee in the glass jar and recycle it, than in a plastic bag and have to throw it out?

Maybe their claim comes from the production and transport savings?

Judgement Day

I would agree with you - the plastic bag which ends up in landfill is the worse option. Incidentally, is Kenco organic? If not it is a poor option end of story whether or not it's in a jar or plastic bag.

robtri

surely it would be more green to stop drinking coffee... reduce bringing the beans all around the world so you can have a drink.....

silverharp

robtri wrote: »

surely it would be more green to stop drinking coffee... reduce bringing the beans all around the world so you can have a drink.....

its hardly the same as having your green beans flown in from Chile

Judgement Day

robtri wrote: »

surely it would be more green to stop drinking coffee... reduce bringing the beans all around the world so you can have a drink.....

Possibly so but why stop there, if we all went back to wearing fig leaves and living in caves it would be even more eco-friendly.

robtri

Judgement Day wrote: »

Possibly so but why stop there, if we all went back to wearing fig leaves and living in caves it would be even more eco-friendly.

exactly... there a few ladies i wouldlike to be working with wearing fig leaves :D:D:D

gizmo555

Judgement Day wrote: »

I would agree with you - the plastic bag which ends up in landfill is the worse option.

The jar has a non-recyclable plastic lid, which itself is bulkier and heavier than the plastic bag.

Judgement Day

gizmo555 wrote: »

The jar has a non-recyclable plastic lid, which itself is bulkier and heavier than the plastic bag.

Switch to an organic brand with suitable recyclable components.

Run_to_da_hills

These were the worst things ever, the amount of energy / material waste just for one cup of coffee. I'm glad to see them being replaced by bean to cup options at most service stations.

gizmo555

Judgement Day wrote: »

Switch to an organic brand with suitable recyclable components.

A good idea, no doubt, but doesn't answer the OP's question - "are Kenco Eco Refills really more environmentally friendly?" - the answer to which is, yes, they are, relative to the alternative of buying a new jar of Kenco coffee.

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

These were the worst things ever, the amount of energy / material waste just for one cup of coffee. I'm glad to see them being replaced by bean to cup options at most service stations.

Same goes for Nespresso pods - George Clooney should be ashamed . . .

YourSQL

robtri wrote: »

surely it would be more green to stop drinking coffee... reduce bringing the beans all around the world so you can have a drink.....

surely the world would be a better place if we spent our days shivvering in a corner being worried that the world is going to end if we do anything at all

bladespin

The plastic in the bag and the lid can be recycled.

Less weight would mean savings in transport costs and CO2 generation per bag etc.

There's less plastic in the bag so I would say it's the greener option, lovely coffee too (for an instant) - some of the organic brands, while saintly etc taste like muddy water, there's only so much you can sacrafice for the environment.

Cunsiderthis

gizmo555 wrote: »

A good idea, no doubt, but doesn't answer the OP's question - "are Kenco Eco Refills really more environmentally friendly?" - the answer to which is, yes, they are, relative to the alternative of buying a new jar of Kenco coffee.



Same goes for Nespresso pods - George Clooney should be ashamed . . .

I think the pods are the greatest con. While I don't drink instant coffee, I occasionally drink coffee and have a lavatssa machine which makes one espresso type or a whole pot of filter coffee.

The problem with the pods is that they are comparatively expensive, and when/if you run out you can't pop into a local shop to replenish.

The coffee I make tastes every bit as good, so the pods just seem to be an expensive and inconvenient way to buy coffee.

Judgement Day

bladespin wrote: »

The plastic in the bag and the lid can be recycled.

There's less plastic in the bag so I would say it's the greener option, lovely coffee too (for an instant) - some of the organic brands, while saintly etc taste like muddy water, there's only so much you can sacrafice for the environment.

I don't know, I find Clipper and the Lidl organic coffee both palatable and it's not just the environment you're protecting when you go organic - it's your body too. I suppose drinking instant coffee is pretty awful anyway but first thing in the morning I can't function without an immediate infusion - I can barely wait while the kettle boils.

bladespin

Judgement Day wrote: »

I don't know, I find Clipper and the Lidl organic coffee both palatable and it's not just the environment you're protecting when you go organic - it's your body too. I suppose drinking instant coffee is pretty awful anyway but first thing in the morning I can't function without an immediate infusion - I can barely wait while the kettle boils.

Prefer 'proper coffee' myself, old style perculator was much loved at home.

TBH it's been proven that organic products are no better for us than the mass produced stuff so I wouldn't hold that as a good reason to buy or not.

robtri

i do find it funny that people are happy to transport this stuff thousand and thousands of miles.... not worry about the enviromantal damage caused,
and then wonder which packaging is slightly more damaging to the enviroment....

is it just me or do this seem fundamentally wrong???

Cookie_Monster

robtri wrote: »

i do find it funny that people are happy to transport this stuff thousand and thousands of miles.... not worry about the enviromantal damage caused,
and then wonder which packaging is slightly more damaging to the enviroment....

is it just me or do this seem fundamentally wrong???

I think thats part of the question the OP is asking. The transport weight of the coffee has now been reduced significantly as well as the volume by a smaller amount I reckon. So now more can be transported in the same space and weigh less which reduces transport emmisions

Incidentally I avoid organic products if I can help it. Taste worse or the same, cost more, use much more land space to produce the same volume so costlier to the environment.

Cheeble

They're quite small packs, only 150g, which means more packaging. It would be better if they had larger packs.

Cheeble-eers