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RECYCLING

ALUMINIUM

ALUMINIUM CAPSULE

Coffee is protected from the outside, while aromas are preserved inside.

Aluminum is the most protective material available today. It guarantees the freshness of the carefully crafted aromas and rich flavors of our coffees.

Lightweight but strong, aluminum seals it from external elements which could harm it - oxygen, moisture and light.

Inspiring sustainable consumption.

At Nespresso, we seek ways to make a difference anywhere we can. This is why we are committed to doing business responsibly. It means ensuring the sustainability of your coffee through a comprehensive program, with observable results. Because sustainability justifies the means.

By adding the capsule recycling to your coffee ritual, your Nespresso coffee won’t just taste good. It feels good too.

The last drop doesn’t mean the last use for aluminium.

Aluminum is not just 100% recyclable, it’s infinitely recyclable. Each capsule you recycle can come back in another everyday object – another capsule, bicycle, Swiss army knife, chair, pen, window frame or watch case.

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From Capsule to Bike

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From Capsule to Pen

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From Capsule to Chair

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COFFEE

COFFEE

The last drop doesn’t mean the last use for coffee grounds.

Once separated from the aluminum, coffee grounds can be reused in more and more innovative ways. Today, you can find them in compost fertilizer. They’re also being transformed into renewable energy, like biofuel for buses.

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HOW TO RECYCLE MY NESPRESSO CAPSULES?

IN BOUTIQUES

Recycle your used capsules in one of our Boutiques.

AT HOME

Request the collection of your used capsules at the time of delivery.

Recycling, a global effort

Argentina

We collaborate jointly with Huerta Niño Foundation to build communal vegetable gardens at rural schools in order to give a sustainable solution to communities. We separate the coffee from the aluminum, we transform aluminum into new objects.But it is not the only thing we recycle. Coffee is reused as compost for the development of 100 vegetable gardens in rural schools.When you recycle your capsules, your Nespresso coffee makes you feel good.

Switzerland

The aluminum of your capsules can be recycled to infinity and take many forms. This time, this is the new edition Caran d'Ache pen whose body is composed of 25%: aluminum from recycled Nespresso capsules.

Spain

Year after year, the coffee from the recycled capsules has been going on a journey. A charity-friendly journey that passes through the rice paddies of the Ebro Delta and ends at the Spanish Foodbank Federation.

Italy

"From bean (of coffee) to bean (of rice)» stands for the trip that a bean of coffee, grown and cherished on the other side of the planet, makes to become a bean of rice on the table of people in need. Our choices (Nespresso’s and ours) made that possible. This is the story of this trip, a trip that never ends if we want it to continue….

Singapore

Nespresso Singapore launched its local recycling initiative on World Environment Day in 2016. The main purpose was to showcase how every single capsule that is recycled can be given a second life. To mark its fourth anniversary, Nespresso Singapore announced its new partnership with Sky Greens farm on 5th June 2019. We highlighted how the used coffee grounds from our recycled capsules are sent to this local farm to become nutrient-rich compost to grow fresh organic produce such as mini Cai Xin and Pak Choy. Throughout this initiative we have also worked with local artists to give the recycled aluminium a new use, such as jewelry, cufflinks and even statement hats. This coming 29th August 2019, Nespresso Singapore will launch its first “Recycle to Win” lucky draw, encouraging Club Members to recycle their used capsules to stand a chance to win their own pair of Limited Edition Chopsticks, made with the aluminium from 30 recycled capsules in Asia.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Nespresso capsules are made from aluminium – the best material to protect the freshness and quality of our Nespresso coffee capsules, which has the additional benefit of being infinitely recyclable. Nespresso has been investing in its dedicated recycling scheme for more than 25 years. We are committed to making it as simple and convenient for our customers to recycle their Nespresso capsules.

  • Nespresso has its own dedicated recycling scheme, offering a range of options to make it simple and convenient for customers to recycle their used capsules. We have more than 100,000 collection points around the world, convenient courier and postal services and Recycling at Home initiatives in 18 countries. Our ambition is to have our aluminium capsules included in established collective recycling schemes, and we are working with governments and local authorities to achieve this.

  • Our recycled capsules go back into the aluminium value chain, where they are recycled into a range of uses – such as car engines, bicycles, computers, soda cans, or even new capsules. We also re-use the coffee grounds to create nutrient-rich compost or green energy.

  • We use aluminium because it is the best material to protect the freshness, taste and quality of Nespresso coffee capsules. Aluminium is a naturally-occurring metal and is infinitely recyclable. Thanks to the aluminium, there is no need for additional over-packaging to protect freshness and taste. Recycled aluminium is extremely versatile. An estimated 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today. Aluminium is used in a wide range of products, from food packaging to cars and computers, window frames to bicycles.

    1. Through the dedicated Nespresso scheme, used capsules are sent to our recycling facility
    2. They are shredded to separate the coffee grounds from the aluminium capsule
    3. The coffee grounds are transformed into green energy or nutrient-rich compost
    4. The empty capsules are heated to melt off the plastic coating and other materials
    5. Once only pure aluminium remains, this is melted and recycled
  • Nespresso capsules require a special grade of aluminium. The availability of recycled aluminium in this specific grade is very low. In fact, the best source of the correct grade of aluminium is from recycled Nespresso capsules. We are using recycled Nespresso capsules to make new capsules wherever it is feasible and it makes sense environmentally.

  • Plastic capsules generally need more packaging such as an additional wrapper to preserve freshness. Ironically, this is often made of aluminium. We believe aluminium is the more sustainable material for our capsules as it reduces the need for extra packaging and protects the freshness and quality of our coffee - and it is infinitely recyclable.

  • We believe that portioned coffee makes sense from a sustainability perspective. We use a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to measure the carbon footprint of our products. We are working at all stages of our product life-cycle – from seed to sip – to reduce our environment impact. Since 2009, we have already reduced the carbon footprint of every cup of Nespresso by almost 20%.

  • We use a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to measure the environmental impact of our products. It shows that the greatest impacts are the processes of coffee farming, followed by the machine-use phase. Packaging is not the main driver of the environmental impact, it only comes third. With the Nespresso precision consumption system, our customers only use the exact amount of water, coffee and energy needed to make one cup with no wasted resources - minimizing food, water and energy waste. The precise use of resources in a precision consumption system can actually reduce waste, and in many scenarios this more than compensates for the additional packaging used for portioned coffee.

  • Nespresso Professional capsules can be recycled just like our at-home capsules can be. The collection and recycling of capsules is discussed on a case by case basis with our professional customers and we have set up many personalised services across the countries we work in to make sure they can also recycle.

Nespresso. What else?

Get the most out of your Nespresso coffee experience knowing we're committed to making a positive impact on the environment and on sourcing the highest quality coffee to create a wide variety of authentic flavours - all at the touch of a button.

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