But Hamburg's Department for the Environment and Energy argues that coffee pods cause "unnecessary resource consumption and waste generation," and "often contain polluting aluminum." Coffee pods are just one of a variety of products city employees are no longer allowed to use on office premises.
Furthermore plastic coffee capsules are bad for your health. According to Wellness Mama, plastic coffee capsules can cause “endocrine disruptors and may contribute to hormone imbalance, weight gain and fertility problems”.
K-Cups may contain hormone-disrupting chemicals
Basically, as the plastic heats up some of those chemicals get in the coffee grounds for your “freshly” brewed cup of coffee. BPA, BPF, and BPS are all chemicals found in plastic.
Aluminum itself, especially one of low-grade quality, can leak chemicals into your brew. Make sure to always purchase quality grade aluminum coffee pods. This will help prevent harmful toxins from entering your coffee.
While coffee pods share many of the health benefits tied to traditionally brewed coffee, they present a handful of health concerns that are not present in other forms of coffee. Coffee pods contain roughly five times more toxic chemicals than espresso or instant which can harm the human body.
A capsule cup of coffee is just like having a barista made coffee, offering a variety of flavours and blends. With so many options, you can't go wrong with capsule coffee. There really is a flavour to suit everyone. Capsule coffee is higher in antioxidants and the many benefits they offer.
We use aluminium for our capsules as it protects the quality of our coffee and it's infinitely recyclable. Aluminium comes with multiple functional and environmental benefits that make it an excellent choice for our capsules. In fact, we believe aluminium has the potential to become an icon for sustainable consumption.
We use aluminium to protect the quality and freshness of our coffees from the adverse effects of light, air and humidity. It is also robust, yet lightweight and can be infinitely recycled, meaning the aluminium can be remelted and reused to make new products time after time.
All original Nespresso® pods are made from aluminum as well.
Drink it black
The healthiest way to drink coffee is plain with nothing added — also known as drinking it black. Dr. Hashmi explains, "Ideally, you shouldn't put sugar in your coffee.
Most experts recommend a pour-over method (this is a great, affordable vessel option), with an unbleached filter to avoid extra chemical exposure. You eliminate most—but not all—of the diterpenes while retaining as many polyphenols as possible.
When capsules have been used and are open, the wet coffee grounds will start to biodegrade, which may ultimately result in the formation of mould. The formation of mould is a natural process of decomposition, as for any organic matter.
In 2020, investigative reporters found children as young as 8 picking coffee on seven Guatemalan farms selling to Nespresso. Then in 2021, Brazilian labor inspectors found multiple instances of wage theft on plantations selling to Nespresso, part of a pattern of violations and human rights abuses on certified farms.
Coffee pods are round or flat packages made with paper that can fit in multiple machines, but they are fragile and don't stay fresh long. Coffee capsules are plastic or aluminum containers that are vacuum sealed and more customizable for private label companies.
Nespresso capsules are made from aluminium – the best material to protect the freshness and quality of our Grand Crus, which has the additional benefit of being infinitely recyclable.
Our refillable coffee pods for Aldi machines are made from the strongest stainless steel and contain no plastic or single-use parts.
Capsule Features: Some are made from aluminium, but majority, especially compatibles are made from food grade plastic with aluminium lids, 100% safe to use in your machine, read more.
The Nespresso capsules contain only fresh roasted and ground coffee with the exception of the flavoured coffees (Vanilla Éclair, Caramel Créme Brulee, Cocoa Truffle) which also contain natural flavours added to fresh roasted and ground coffee.
Nespresso capsules are made with aluminum, but have a food-grade shellac coasting. This means the ground coffee inside the capsule has no contact with the aluminum.
The reusable capsules are made using the 100% non-toxic material stainless steel. This factor means you don't have to worry about any BPA leaching into your coffee.
Eco-Logical Method is another brand offering reusable Nespress Vertuo capsules. They're a once-off buy that'll last for years, helping reduce your waste & save the environment from single-use pods. Each pod is 100% stainless steel and BPA- and aluminium-free, making it completely non-toxic even when hot.
There is no BPA or other types of Bisphenols in Nespresso capsules. Our capsules are fully compliant with applicable regulations on materials intended to come into contact with food (EU, FDA, etc).
We use aluminium because it protects the coffee from oxygen, light and humidity better than other materials available. This helps us ensure that the aromas developed during the roasting are kept until consumers take their first sip.