Germany 
Climate protection
Conserving resources
Coffee and tea are natural products that grow near the equator. Climate change is making them increasingly difficult to farm. That’s why it is in our interests as a producer to make a contribution to protecting the environment and achieving climate targets. Germany wants to be climate-neutral by 2045. We believe we have a responsibility to cut CO₂ emissions – for example, by reducing our energy requirements.
Coffee and the climate
How we aim to reduce our carbon footprint each year.
To improve our impact on the climate, we avoid and reduce emissions wherever currently possible. During production, for example, we use highly efficient roasting systems that consume around half the energy of a small roasting facility. By optimising machine settings, we reduce wastage rates and the amount of materials we use. We also carry out annual measurements to assess the extent of this reduction.
Measures taken so far and our next steps
Impact of the Dallmayr Coffee Group on the climate
In 2020, for the first time, we drew up a climate balance sheet for the company. Based on data from 2019, this balance sheet covers our five roasting locations, the administration of the Coffee Group, and Dallmayr HORECA Service.
We worked together with ClimatePartner to record CO₂ emissions in the Scope 1, 2 and 3 categories as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) Standard, and then calculated our Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF).
According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol:
Scope 1
emissions are direct emissions caused by the company – for example through the use of gas, fuel or petrol
Scope 2
emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy
Scope 3
emissions are all other emissions that occur in the upstream and downstream supply chain
Our next steps:
- We will continue to reduce our use of resources – for example, through lighting concepts with LEDs as well as electric cars and our own charging stations.
- In future, we will create an annual calculation of Dallmayr’s carbon footprint to document our progress in climate protection.
Our goal:
We want to gain a deeper insight into our emissions by taking more measurements. This will allow us to identify potential for further reductions and to use this information as a basis for taking appropriate measures.
Switching to green electricity
All Dallmayr locations in Germany – including the delicatessen, central administration, the roasteries and our Vending & Office branches – have been using green electricity from renewable energy sources since January 2021. Our subsidiaries at two locations in Brunswick and Bremen generate electricity using photovoltaic systems.
A reduction of 16% in emissions
In 2021, the Dallmayr Coffee Group’s climate balance sheet saw a good 16% reduction in our indirect emissions thanks to the switch to green electricity.
A reduction of 16.7% in CO₂ emissions compared to initial data from 2019 – thanks to the switch to green electricity.
Viewed across all three scopes, our CO₂ emissions in 2021 dropped by just under 20%.
Energy management system ISO 50001
An energy management system can be used to identify potential energy savings and to increase energy efficiency. Since 2014, our roasteries in Dortmund and Berlin have been using an energy management system in accordance with the ISO 50001 standard. This was recently introduced in Bremen, too.
Reforestation programme in Ethiopia
We have a limited influence on CO₂ emissions in the countries of origin – both during cultivation and processing. That’s why we give something back to the local people in other ways – for example, by planting millions of tree seedlings. We work closely with the “Menschen für Menschen” foundation to achieve this goal.
55 million tree seedlings
Not only do these seedlings improve the quality of the soil in Ethiopia, but they also absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and therefore make a valuable contribution to climate protection and biodiversity.
In the next step, we want to make it possible to measure the impact of our reforestation work with “Menschen für Menschen” in Ethiopia.
Where are most greenhouse gas emissions actually generated during coffee production?
Surprisingly, in the country of origin itself – during cultivation and processing. Not using synthetic fertilisers and pesticides has a twofold effect on the climate. On the one hand, manufacturing these products is incredibly energy-intensive and has a negative impact on the climate. On the other hand, the action of spreading these fertilisers and pesticides releases large amounts of nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more harmful to the climate than CO₂.*
Even transporting large quantities of coffee by ship has a lower overall impact. At home, on the other hand, the way your coffee is prepared makes a big difference. Are you preparing it in a fully automatic machine that’s permanently in standby mode, or brewing it in a French press? Is green electricity being used or not?
* Source: Umweltbundesamt (German Federal Environment Agency)
What is the carbon footprint of a Dallmayr coffee, 1,000 g whole beans?
We have drawn up a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) for individual Dallmayr coffees.** The typical share of emissions is broken down in the graphic below.
Share of CO₂ emissions for a Dallmayr coffee, 1,000 g, whole beans:
- 89% green coffee
- 4% inbound logistics
- 4% company emissions
- 2% packaging
- 1% outbound logistics
** In accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) and “cradle to customer” assessment standard.