In addition, Nespresso will become the first company to use aluminium from
responsible sources, supplied by Rio Tinto, to produce its coffee capsules. The use of
aluminium certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) is an important step
to reduce the impact produced by the second most used base metal on the planet. ASI
establishes standards to promote the protection of biodiversity, respect for the rights
of indigenous peoples, water management and low carbon emissions during the
production of aluminium.
Our commitment to sustainability and defence through the full utilisation of waste
material has led us to seek the best solutions for recycling and reusing aluminium to
give a second life to the material we work with. We are even opting to make use of the
coffee remains from used capsules to enrich compost and use it for agricultural
purposes. A compost that we use to harvest solidarity rice. Thanks to this action,
Nespresso has donated 100 tonnes of rice annually to Food Banks since 2011.
Although the recycling rates are improving thanks to a collective effort by the whole of
society, the truth is that, in our country, there is still a long way to go in waste
management in general terms.
Are our aluminium coffee capsules recyclable?
In addition, consumers are somewhat confused about how to properly separate waste,
or whether certain waste can be recycled. For example, some consumers are unaware
that aluminium coffee capsules are recyclable.
In some countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Finland or in many parts of France,
consumers can use yellow containers to deposit lightweight aluminium containers.
Since 1993, the German containers and packaging GIS has been accepting aluminium
capsules and recycling them at its packaging selection plants.
For the time being until this situation arises here as well, we have had our own unique
collection and recycling system, a pioneer in the market since 2009. Nespresso will
continue to constantly invest in sustainability initiatives, seeking to expand recycling
options and communicating constantly with our customers around the world to
encourage them to recycle.
Recycling points
To this end, we have installed almost 1,900 collection points nationwide so that
customers can recycle their used capsules. These points, that we continuously seek to
expand, are located in Nespresso boutiques, department stores where you can buy
Nespresso machines, as well as in municipal waste collection points that the company
works with, such as those in Barcelona, Madrid, Vizcaya, Seville or Valencia, among
others. Our consumers can find the nearest recycling point here.
