Nespresso is one of the latest brands to join the Amazon-sponsored "Climate Pledge" movement, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040; HP, Procter & Gamble, Salesforce, and ASOS are also among the latest to join the ranks of companies seeking to reduce their HP, Procter & Gamble, Salesforce, and ASOS have also recently joined the ranks of companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprint to zero within the next 20 years.

This is not Nespresso's first effort to reduce its contribution to climate change. In 2020, Nespresso declared that each cup of Nespresso coffee would be carbon neutral by 2022. With that deadline fast approaching, the brand has taken another step forward with its latest commitment.

While carbon neutrality is certainly a great step in the right direction, the ultimate goal is to actually achieve zero emissions. Nespresso previously tried to achieve carbon neutrality by supplementing its own used emissions with reforestation and supporting conservation projects.

Since then, parent company Nestlé has set similar goals and committed to achieving net zero by 2050. This is no mean feat, and the company itself has stated that it emitted 92 million tons of greenhouse gases in the year 2018. Nestlé's progress includes sustainable sourcing of raw materials, more efficient transportation, the development of new low-carbon products, and the use of renewable energy at the manufacturing stage.

Nespresso benefits from all of these future plans and is already making progress with its power efficient coffee makers and new aluminum stewardship initiative. Nespresso is a founding member of this initiative and is working to set new global standards for responsible aluminum sourcing and use and to implement a closed-loop manufacturing process that takes advantage of the infinitely recyclable nature of Nespresso machine pods.

Nespresso has its work cut out for it, especially given the pod nature of its best-selling system. But with parent brand Nestlé spearheading this approach, the roadmap to a cleaner future is set.

If drip machine volume is your thing, here are some of the best Cuisinart coffee makers available today. Or choose the right pod-style coffeemaker in our Nespresso vs. Keurig showdown.