Environment
The Melitta Group’s business model relies heavily on natural resources – from raw coffee to pulp and plastics, and from energy to the water used in processing. A healthy environment is therefore a key prerequisite for the Group’s future viability. At the same time, protecting our natural environment is consistent with the family-owned company’s core values and its multi-generational mindset and business practices.
This is why the Melitta Group has long been committed to reducing the environmental impact of its business operations and using resources as sparingly as possible. Its efforts focus in particular on the issues of climate change, water, biodiversity, and the circular economy.
Climate change
To reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all four of its value creation areas – coffee, plastics, pulp, and electrical appliances – the Melitta Group has defined the following targets. These replace the climate targets formulated in 2019 and were validated in 2025 by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) (base year: 2021):
- Scope 1 and 2: 43.15 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and 90 percent by 2045
- Scope 3 – Energy & Industry: 37.5 percent reduction by 2035 and 90 percent reduction by 2045
- Scope 3 – Forest, Land and Agriculture: 45.5 percent reduction by 2035 and 72 percent reduction by 2045
- Net Zero: achieving net-zero emissions by 2045 at the latest
In addition, the Melitta Group expects that suppliers responsible for 70 percent of the emissions from purchased goods and services in Scope 3.1 – Energy & Industry set their own climate targets in accordance with the criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative by 2030 (“Supplier Engagement”).
These targets are to be achieved primarily through the procurement of renewable energy, a continuous reduction in energy consumption, investments in modern machinery and equipment, and by involving suppliers in the decarbonization of value chains.
Validated climate targets
In July 2023, the Melitta Group committed to having its climate targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). After two years of preparation, the SBTi confirmed in October 2025 that the targets developed by the Melitta Group – taking into account the latest scientific findings – are consistent with the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement.
For the Melitta Group, validation is much more than simply a confirmation of its climate strategy. It strengthens the credibility of its climate protection efforts and provides guidance in an increasingly dynamic market environment. At the same time, science-based climate targets are becoming increasingly important for customers, business partners, financial market participants, and regulatory authorities. For the Melitta Group, validation is therefore also a key component of its long-term competitiveness.
Melitta Group’s ambitions in line with
1.5-degree target
Having our climate targets validated by the SBTi is an important milestone for the Melitta Group. It confirms that our emissions reduction targets are scientifically sound and will help to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This recognition motivates us to continue driving forward decarbonisation across all areas of our Group.
, Director Sustainability, Melitta Group
In 2025, the total energy consumed within the Melitta Group amounted to 324,669,358 kWh. Compared to the previous year, this represents a decrease of 1.6 percent.
In addition to reduced production volumes in certain value creation areas, the main reasons for the decrease are the successful implementation of various energy-saving measures and increased energy efficiency resulting from investments in newer equipment, machinery, and facilities.
| (in kWh) | 2025 | 2024 | ∆ (in %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel consumption within the organization from non-renewable sources | 140,562,236 | 137,252,058 | +2.4 |
| Fuel consumption within the organization from renewable sources | 35,503,847 | 36,309,855 | –2.2 |
| Electricity consumption (self-generated + third-party) | 119,929,885 | 125,845,670 | –4.7 |
| Heating energy consumption together with cooling energy (district heating) | 2,193,245 | 1,940,903 | +13.0 |
| Steam consumption | 29,620,452 | 30,310,381 | –2.3 |
| Electricity sold | 1,953,799 | 454,201 | +330.2 |
| Heating energy sold | 1,347,122 | 1,377,256 | –2.2 |
| Total energy consumption within the organization | 324,669,358 | 329,827,411 | –1.6 |
Compared to the base year of 2021, energy consumption has thus fallen by 23.5 percent over the past five years.
Development of energy consumption
(in kWh)
Emissions also declined during the fiscal year 2025. In addition to lower energy consumption, this was driven in particular by the following measures:
- Switch to green electricity at the Brodnica production site (Poland)
- Various decarbonization measures across several operating divisions, e.g., improvements in the supply chain and logistics, increased use of renewable energy, and expansion of the electric vehicle fleet
| (in tCO2e) | 2025 | 2024 | ∆ (in %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | 35,328 | 34,517 | +2.3 |
| Scope 2 (location-based) | 56,524 | 58,920 | –4.1 |
| Scope 2 (market-based) | 17,290 | 39,793 | –56.55 |
| Scope 3 | 1,613,717 | 1,619,659 | –0.37 |
Compared to the base year of 2021, emissions have decreased as follows:
| (in tCO2e) | 2025 | 2021 | ∆ (in %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | 35,328 | 52,092 | –32.2 |
| Scope 2 (location-based) | 56,524 | 73,812 | –23.4 |
| Scope 2 (market-based) | 17,290 | 54,580 | –68.32 |
| Scope 3 | 1,613,717 | 2,888,241 | –44.13 |
Green electricity for Brodnica
In 2025, Cofresco’s Brodnica facility took an important step toward more climate-friendly production: the majority of the electricity it purchases from the grid was switched to green power. As a result, approximately 81 percent of its total electricity consumption (21.4 million kWh) now comes from renewable energy sources. This prevents approximately 15,000 metric tons of CO₂e from being emitted each year.
Brodnica, in northern Poland, is the main production site for Cofresco, Europe’s leading manufacturer of branded products for the freshkeeping, preparing, and freezing of food, as well as for waste disposal. With brands such as Toppits®, Albal®, Bacofoil®, Swirl®, handy bag®, Wrapmaster®, and Caterwrap®, Cofresco reaches more than 70 million households in Europe.
Water
Water is needed in particular at the Melitta Group’s paper-producing sites. Only fresh water is used. No water is drawn from water-stressed regions at the paper-producing sites.
In the fiscal year 2020, the target was set to reduce water consumption at the paper-producing sites by 25 percent by 2025. This target was achieved: water consumption was reduced by as much as 41.2 percent during this period.
Development of water consumption
(in m3)
This was achieved in particular through the consistent recycling of process water, investments in modern machinery and equipment, and continuous improvements to the manufacturing processes. From 2024 to 2025, these measures resulted in a further 19.2 percent reduction in water consumption.
| (in m3) | 2025 | 2024 | ∆ (in %) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total water withdrawal at the paper-producing sites | 574,249 | 710,595 | –19.2 |
| thereof surface water | 59,689 | 143,014 | –58.3 |
| thereof groundwater | 460,570 | 508,637 | –9.4 |
| thereof water from third parties (municipal water) | 53,990 | 58,944 | –8.4 |
Melitta South America reduces water consumption by 29 percent
Between 2021 and 2025, Melitta South America reduced its water consumption by 29 percent. This was primarily achieved through technical improvements to the paper production process at the Celupa facility in Brazil. A newly installed disc filter treats the process water so that it can be reused multiple times in the production cycle, significantly reducing the need for fresh water.
Last year, the project was accompanied by a campaign that kept employees informed of progress through monthly updates and a traffic-light system, thereby motivating them to play their part in reducing water consumption. Further investments to reduce water consumption are already planned.
between 2021 and 2025
Biodiversity
The topics of climate change and biodiversity are closely linked. The loss of natural habitats and biodiversity can exacerbate climate change, while rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events, in turn, have significant impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.
For the Melitta Group, biodiversity plays a particularly important role in the value creation areas of coffee and pulp. This is because both coffee growing and the cultivation of trees for pulp are closely linked to natural ecosystems, the use of agricultural land, and the protection of forests, soils, and water resources:
In the value creation area of coffee, the Melitta Group works together with other market players to promote more sustainable coffee cultivation. The focus is on further developing sustainable cultivation methods and standards, as well as on developing and supporting training, innovation, and community projects in the growing regions.
The most important measures in 2025 included:
- Participation in the “Sustainable Coffee” committee of the German Coffee Association
- Implementation of an initiative to strengthen future prospects in the coffee sector in Tanzania in collaboration with Plan International
- Expansion of the share of sustainably certified coffees in the portfolio
- Continuation of existing community projects and launch of new ones in coffee- growing regions
The proportion of raw coffee with sustainability certifications procured by the Melitta Group rose from 9.9 to 12.2 percent in 2025. However, as certifications alone can only contribute to a limited extent toward driving structural change in coffee cultivation, the Melitta Group plans to focus more on directly embedding sustainability criteria in the growing regions. This will involve linking climate goals to coffee cultivation and specifically promoting regenerative farming methods. To this end, the Melitta Group is pooling the activities of its coffee units, stepping up the measurement of progress made, and focusing its reporting more strongly on emission reductions, regenerative development, and project progress.
In the value creation area of pulp the main focus is on the responsible management of forests and other natural resources. The Melitta Group is working to further increase the proportion of certified raw materials and recycled materials and to design packaging and paper products in a way that conserves resources. At the same time, alternative, non-wood-based pulps are being evaluated with respect to their environmental impact.
The most important measures in 2025 included:
- Collection and reuse of scrap paper at the Celupa production site in Brazil
- Further increase in the proportion of recycled materials used in packaging: the packaging for filter papers and numerous articles of the “Household Products” business field is already made from 95 – 100 percent recycled materials, while the ratio for filter coffeemakers and fully automatic coffee machines is around 80 percent
- Development and implementation of further measures for more environmentally friendly packaging
Circular economy
The concept of the circular economy fundamentally applies to all value creation areas within the Melitta Group – for example, with regard to packaging, production waste, and the recycling and disposal of products and materials. The Melitta Group aims to use resources as efficiently as possible, avoid waste, and keep materials in the cycle as much as possible, thus following the principle of “ReDesign – ReDuce – ReUse – ReCycle”.
This topic is of particular relevance in the value creation areas of plastics and electrical appliances. These areas present specific challenges regarding material use, recyclability, reuse, and waste disposal structures:
In the value creation area of plastics the focus is on reducing the use of fossil- based raw materials, increasing the proportion of recycled materials, and further improving the circularity of products and packaging. To this end, the Melitta Group is working on new materials, optimizing packaging systems, and refining products to make them as recyclable as possible or to enable them to be manufactured from recycled or renewable raw materials.
The most important measures in 2025 included:
- Complete recycling of plastic production waste at the Brodnica site (Poland)
- Further expansion of production capacities at Vishuddh Recycle for processed plastic waste
- Transition to more sustainable coffee packaging in China
- Switch to 100 percent recycled paper for packaging and display trays in the European coffee business
- Recovery of packaging material for the production of sustainable roof tiles in Brazil
CSR award for fair recycled plastic
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In 2025, the amount of plastic procured by the Melitta Group fell year-on-year by approximately 9 percent. This was driven in particular by innovations in product development and refinement, efforts to reduce the use of plastics, and the shift to alternative materials. At the same time, the proportion of post-consumer or post-industrial recycled materials increased from 34.3 to 34.8 percent of total plastics procured by the Melitta Group.
In the value creation area of electrical appliances, the focus is mainly on the resource-efficient use of materials, the durability of products, and their improved repairability and recyclability. To achieve these goals, the Melitta Group continuously enhances its appliances and works with suppliers and other market participants to develop solutions that enable the use of resource-efficient durable, and recyclable materials and components.
The most important measures in 2025 included:
- Expansion of repair services for filter coffeemakers; in addition to high-end machines and fully automatic coffee machines, repair services are also available for mid-range filter coffeemakers
- Development of an online offering for refurbished appliances (in particular, refurbished demonstration models returned by sales staff or retailers)
Across the entire Melitta Group, the goal is to gradually reduce all waste, make better use of recyclable materials, and keep materials in circulation for as long as possible. This includes even more comprehensive waste separation and recycling, the return of suitable materials to the company’s own production processes, and the transition to reusable systems wherever possible and practical. At the same time, waste disposal structures – and looking ahead also resource management within the supply chains – are being further developed.
In 2025, the total weight of waste decreased from 17,852 metric tons to 15,691 metric tons. Of this amount, 13,478 metric tons were recycled. The recycling rate thus rose from 81.8 percent in the previous year to 85.9 percent.
| (in t) | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total weight of waste | 15,691 | 17,852 |
| Total weight of non-hazardous waste | 15,486 | 17,647 |
| thereof disposed of externally | 2,125 | 3,166 |
| thereof recovered externally | 13,361 | 14,481 |
| Total weight of hazardous waste | 205 | 204 |
| thereof disposed of externally | 88 | 75 |
| thereof recovered externally | 117 | 129 |
| Recycling rate (in %) | 81.8 | 85.9 |
The most important measures in 2025 included:
- Complete recycling of plastic production waste at the Brodnica site (Poland)
- Conversion of various packaging formats to make them suitable for higher-quality recycling processes
between 2021 and 2025
15.691 t (2021: 18.812 t)
Cooperation with World Cleanup Day
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