Within the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Pilot Project Germany, the PCF of one cup of a special type of coffee was analysed on behalf of Tchibo GmbH (Überseering, Hamburg, Germany). Another hot spot is the cultivation of coffee beans with 55%. As the results show, the preparation by the consumer is one crucial part of the entire life cycle of coffee, making up a share of 30% of the overall emissions. Interestingly, the study claims that looking at the carbon footprint of a takeaway coffee, the paper cup with lid contributes only nine per cent of the total climate impact, while 14 per cent of the impact comes from the coffee production and a massive 73 per cent comes from milk production - so one possible way to reduce the environmental impact of your coffee is to start drinking it black or using a non-dairy milk. It is also … Concerning … The coffee industry isn’t the worst industry for the environment (as long as consumers use reusable cups and mugs). The production and shipment of paper coffee cups play a major role in the pollution of the environment by CO2 and other gases. As the results show, the preparation by the consumer is one crucial part of the entire life cycle of coffee, making up a share of 30% of the overall emissions. Coffee has a large and increasing effect on the environment from start to finish and the best way we, as consumers, can reduce the impact on the environment, animal species and the farms producing the beans is to make informed decisions with our buying power. I can't give absolute numbers and I am not sure they exist in the completeness you are asking for. Let not the word ‘paper’ (cup) fool you that it’s not as harmful as its plastic counterpart. This might seem surprising at first, but when it’s broken down it makes a little more sense. Another hot spot is the cultivation of coffee beans with 55%. Drinking coffee from paper cups is not only harmful to our environment, but potentially harmful to our mental state, as well. Given that trees help in the absorption of CO2 and are unfortunately depleted, this becomes a double tragedy. A study on the environmental effect of paper cups showed that a single cup production and transportation leads to an emission of about 0.11 kilograms of CO2. To some extent, most paper coffee cups are coated with a petroleum based plastic resin which makes them more durable and prevents coffee from leaking. See how you can make positive changes in both areas. As a 20-something Bostonian in 1992, John Sylvan didn’t have a particular passion for coffee. “At first glance, solutions may seem like an eco-friendly and sustainable answer to our environmental afflictions,” she says. Well, in every cup of coffee you see on a daily basis, there is an enormous amount of intrinsic resources and energy that went into the production of that cup. No, it is at the final stage of coffees journey that becomes the most problematic, the final transition into the cup at the café that generates as much as 50% of all carbon emissions of the supply train.