Coffee giants Nespresso have been paying close attention to the waste they create and how they can recycle as much of their packaging as possible for the last decade in the industry.
You can find a capsule coffee machine in one-third of homes across the UK, and the labels and capsules that work within the machines are made from Aluminium in order to best protect the coffee inside and to maintain the freshness for as long as possible. Coincidently, Aluminium is also infinitely recyclable, meaning that it can be recycled again and again over time into all kinds of different products.
What is a Nespresso Capsule?
Nespresso machines are coffee machines that use individual capsules or pods, that have coffee inside them, to brew fresh and delicious coffee. Nespresso produces a wide range of products and types of coffee in these capsules, so their customers tend to go through quite a lot of capsules over their lifetime with the brand. The capsules are made from single-serve aluminium, which can be recycled into new capsules or other aluminium-based products.
How Does It Work?
Nespresso ensure all of their customers can add a recycling bag to their shopping bag when shopping for their Nespresso labels and capsules. Once the capsules have been used in the coffee machine, they are disposed of in the recycling bag, and once the bag is full it can be recycled through the following channels:
- Podback – Drop off your recycling bag at over 5,000 stores across the UK with CollectPlus
- Nespresso Collection – Nespresso will collect the recycling bag from your home at the same time as they deliver your new capsules.
- Nespresso Boutique Drop Off – Drop off the recycling bag at any Nespresso Boutique store. You can also pick up extra recycling bags here too.
Once the Nespresso labels and capsules are collected and have been returned to Nespresso HQ, the remaining coffee and aluminium are separated, and both go on to be used again.
The aluminium is used for things like new capsules, cans, bikes and pens, while the coffee is used in biogas and to improve the soil for crops.
The recycling plant where this takes place is in the UK, and the whole process is independently audited and verified. The aluminium capsules can’t be recycled in your home recycling bin, as the recycling process is specific to the capsules, hence why Nespresso created their own bespoke plant to conduct the process. The whole process is free to the customer, so no further costs are implemented, further increasing the benefits of opting into the recycling scheme.
Coffee Capsule Facts
There are some pretty stunning facts about coffee capsules and pods that put into perspective the great job that Nespresso is doing with its capsules and labels. Firstly, every minute over 39,000 capsules are produced across the world, and of those 39,000 a staggering 29,000 find themselves in landfill sites, according to research conducted by Halo, a British producer of compostable coffee capsules.
Professor of Engineering, Alf Hill of the University of Bath delved deeper into the science surrounding the production of coffee and the different methods of distribution across the world to find out which method was the most beneficial to the environment. While instant coffee came out as the greenest option, capsules were a very close second, with traditional espresso coming in dead last. The most damaging aspect of coffee production is in the growth of the beans as it contributes greatly to greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and fertiliser use, and capsules extract far more coffee from the bean than traditional espresso, making it a far greener option in the long term. Add to this the energy consumption required to brew a traditional cup of espresso compared to the speed of a coffee machine like Nespresso, further benefits are garnered in that area.
The recycling rate in 2016 for Nespresso was just 25% for their coffee capsules, but since then Nespresso have engaged in further schemes and programmes to promote a higher recycling rate, including trials with London City Councils to have the recycling bags collected on the route, and this has also been trialled with New York City Councils. There have also been suggestions of a deposit-based system in which coffee capsule and pod users retrieve their deposit upon the recycling of their waste, but at the moment, this isn’t a part of Nespresso’s immediate plans. Nespresso are striving for an increase in this recycling rate each year, and eventually, they will reach their targets, but either way, it’s a positive step for such a big company to take towards sustainability and becoming more environmentally friendly.