Coffee and Tea Carbon Footprint Calculator
Written by Thierno Sadou Diallo, formula verified per our methodology • Last checked on 9/9/2026
A 250 mL cup of coffee emits on average 150 g of CO2 equivalent, versus only 10 g for a cup of tea of the same volume, according to French agency ADEME — about 15 times less. For 3 cups a day, switching from coffee to tea saves about 153 kg of CO2e a year.
Explanation
According to ADEME's official tool "Measure the carbon footprint of your favorite beverages," a 250 mL cup of coffee represents on average 150 grams of CO2 equivalent, versus only 10 grams for a cup of tea of the same volume — a gap of about 15 times between the two beverages. This difference mainly comes down to growing conditions: coffee cultivation can require heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides and, in some areas, contributes to deforestation, while tea is generally grown less intensively, which reduces the deforestation risks associated with its production. This calculator deliberately compares coffee and tea against each other, without distinguishing between coffee preparation methods (capsule, filter, instant): several studies contradict each other on this specific point, some finding capsules slightly less emitting thanks to their precise dosing, others reaching the opposite conclusion, with one analysis even noting that wasting ground coffee (brewing more cups than needed) actually weighs more heavily on the carbon footprint than the choice of preparation method itself. Given these non-converging sources on a precise figure, this calculator sticks to the coffee/tea comparison, directly and clearly sourced from ADEME. This gap of 150 g versus 10 g per cup, added up over daily consumption, quickly amounts to several dozen kilograms of CO2 equivalent a year — an order of magnitude worth putting in perspective alongside other everyday emission sources, like our food carbon footprint calculator or our trip carbon footprint calculator.
Example: 3 cups a day
Inputs
Number of cups per day: 3.
Calculation
Coffee emissions = (3 × 150 × 365) ÷ 1000 = 164,250 ÷ 1000 = 164.25 kg CO2e/year. Tea emissions = (3 × 10 × 365) ÷ 1000 = 10.95 kg CO2e/year. Savings = 164.25 − 10.95 = 153.3 kg CO2e/year.
Result
At 3 cups a day, coffee emits about 164 kg of CO2e a year, versus about 11 kg for tea — a saving of about 153 kg by switching to tea.
Frequently asked questions
Why does coffee emit so much more CO2 than tea?
Mainly because of coffee cultivation conditions, which can require heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides and, in some regions, contributes to deforestation to clear land for plantations. Tea, by contrast, is generally grown less intensively, which reduces the associated deforestation risks and explains a large part of the gap measured by ADEME.
Does the coffee preparation method (capsule, filter, instant) significantly change this result?
This is a point on which available studies contradict each other: some find capsules slightly less emitting thanks to precise dosing that avoids waste, others reach the opposite conclusion. One analysis notably points out that wasting ground coffee (brewing more cups than are actually drunk) increases the carbon footprint far more than the choice of preparation method itself. Lacking clear consensus on this specific point, this calculator sticks to the coffee/tea comparison, directly sourced from ADEME.
Does this footprint include added milk or sugar?
No, this calculator covers only the brewed beverage itself (coffee or tea), as measured by the ADEME tool. Adding milk, especially cow's milk, noticeably increases a cup's total carbon footprint, since milk carries its own significant footprint — see our food carbon footprint calculator for that separate factor.