The sustainable choice – how to recognize responsible products

Environmental awareness on the rise: Three quarters of German consumers pay attention to the sustainability of products when shopping. This was the result of a study published by McKinsey & Company in May 2021. Since the Corona pandemic, half of consumers are willing to spend up to 20% more on sustainable products. But how do you recognize sustainable products?

What is a sustainable product?

Basically, any product that does not have to be produced is better than any product, no matter how sustainable. A product is understood to be a material good that is the result of a production process or an (intangible) service. The definition of a product already refers to the production process as an essential component. It is therefore essential to include it in the sustainability assessment. A product is sustainable if its environmental impact can be managed while it brings economic and social benefits - throughout its entire life cycle. This means that a product is responsible if it does not harm the environment and at the same time has a positive impact on the economy and society. It is important that production and disposal are also considered in addition to product use.

Sustainability "From Cradle to Cradle"

Every product goes through its life cycle from its "cradle" to its "grave". The "Cradle to Cradle" principle describes the case where at the end of a product's life cycle the basis for something new is created. You can find out more about "Cradle to Cradle" on the website of the C2C NGO association .

In order to analyze a product in terms of its sustainability aspect, it must be considered in its individual stages. These stages are raw material extraction/mining, pre-production, production, trade and service, use, end of life. In each of these steps, the product should meet the requirements of the three pillars of sustainability: social, ecological and economic. If you want to find out more about the three pillars, take a look at our blog post .

1. Raw material production/extraction

In particular, products that contain rare raw materials are usually not sustainable from an ecological point of view. Working conditions during extraction and cultivation should also not be neglected.

Renewable raw materials that do not cause environmental problems in the areas where they are grown would be a sustainable option. Where possible, recycled, reusable raw materials are a good choice.

We use the natural ingredients wood and PLA for our wooden coffee capsules. The wood comes from southern German forests and is even PEFC certified.

2. Pre-production and production

High energy consumption and the creation of harmful substances can be problematic both during pre-production and during production.

If attention is paid to low power consumption, little rejects and waste, and good working conditions during (pre-)production, a product can be more sustainable than its competitors.

We use the injection molding process to produce our capsules. By using this process, almost none of the wood PLA granulate is lost. We also only use green electricity in our production and our office.

3. Trade and Service

In retail and service, the social aspect in the form of working conditions must be kept in mind.

Here, fair wages and working hours as well as delivery routes that are as direct and short as possible are indicators of a more socially and ecologically sustainable choice.

We ship our capsules climate-neutrally with GOGREEN .

4. Use

High power consumption during use or harmful substances released into the atmosphere pose a risk on an ecological level. The social aspect that products can be harmful to health or addictive must also not be forgotten.

Products that have positive impacts and do not harm the environment can be considered socially and ecologically sustainable.

For example, when brewing our coffee, no harmful emissions are produced by the coffee machine (the best option, of course, is to use green electricity).

And in our opinion, enjoying a cup of coffee alone or together even has great social added value.

5. End-of-Life

An obvious environmental problem is garbage that remains in nature and endangers animals and plants. Garbage becomes a social problem, for example, when mountains of waste pollute people's homes.

A product that is reused in another form or recycled is a sustainable alternative. In the best case, a product consists only of natural materials. These can be returned to nature and decompose.

Since our coffee capsules are made entirely from natural ingredients, they do not contribute to the creation of mountains of waste. You can find more information about the disposal of coffee capsules in our blog post here .

From Greed is Cool to Green is Trump

Sustainability is more than just a trend and now permeates all areas of daily life. Companies are taking advantage of this development. Green labels, various seals and supposedly sustainable actions suggest a change in thinking, but this is not always the case. It is worth taking a closer look and asking questions. Here is a small guideline on which aspects should be analyzed particularly closely:

Are supply chains transparent?

A fundamental factor in evaluating a product is whether the origin of its components or ingredients can be traced. Only through transparency can conclusions be drawn about potentially socially and ecologically questionable lifecycle components. Seals can be helpful for this. To get an overview, the Federal Environment Agency has put together a selection of recommended seals . Apps such as codecheck can also help to get an overview of potentially harmful ingredients. Supply chains are often difficult to find out or are incomplete. The more regionally products are produced, the higher the chance of making a socially and ecologically responsible choice.

How is the packaging designed?

Of course, no packaging is the best packaging. But if it is essential, it should be as reduced as possible and, if possible, made from recycled or biodegradable materials. As part of the single-use plastic ban that has been in effect since July 2021, bioplastics have also been banned. You can find out what this is all about here .

Is the company's sustainability stance credible?

Recognizing honest commitment to the environment, including plants, animals and people, is not always easy. To do this, the company must be viewed as a whole. Are the measures implemented related to the product? Can the measures be transparently traced? Do the actions and deeds correspond to the values ​​communicated?

Caution!

Pure activism has nothing to do with implemented sustainability. Individual measures that are taken randomly and without any reference are usually of little use and tend to lead to greenwashing. Campaigns that ultimately encourage even more consumption are even counterproductive. A concrete example of this is: "Bring back your old item of clothing and get a discount on your next one".

The most sustainable choice in practice

As mentioned at the beginning: the fewer products that are produced, the better for the environment. It is also virtually impossible to gather all the information on all products. What we can do, however, is to make consumer decisions to the best of our knowledge and conscience and to choose the most responsible option within the scope of our possibilities.