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Ask your questions about the consumption of Nespresso capsules. They are practical and avoid wasting large doses of coffee, but consumers need to join the company's efforts and take their capsules to collection points

The way we consume coffee has changed a lot over the years, from the cloth strainer to the machine for capsules, passing through the most varied apparatus of your friend addicted to coffee. In the rush of everyday life, Nespresso capsules emerged as a practical and tasty option, ensuring diversity to the palate and the possibility of having an espresso without having to stop at a bakery. The new model, however, brought a challenge: what to do with all these used coffee capsules?

Nespresso was concerned with creating a solution for the waste generated. The capsules are made of 100% recyclable material and the company has invested in its own recycling program, seeking to engage its consumers in the joint search for ecologically correct solutions for the disposal of used coffee capsules.

On this International Recycling Day, we'll talk a little bit about the issue of Nespresso capsules. Discover some myths and truths about recycling capsules, ask your questions and enjoy the coffee.

What are the advantages of consuming coffee in capsules?

Practicality is the great advantage of Nespresso capsules. In a few seconds, without leaving the house, it is possible to taste a variety of coffees from all over the world. Public employee Maria Luísa and her husband Sérgio recently bought a Nespresso machine and started exploring the varieties. “Before, I drank coffee practically alone at home, there was always leftovers and I ended up using a lot of powder. Now, with the machine, consumption has increased - people who did not like coffee before are discovering new flavors with the capsules.”

Avoiding wasting the ready drink is another difference perceived in the capsules. What happened at Maria Luísa's house is common and ends up consuming more resources than necessary. The consumption of coffee in individual doses, in turn, reduces food and energy waste.

Those who don't make coffee at home and who don't give up an espresso, enjoy the convenience of the capsules. Laércio, whose favorite coffees are Ristretto and Arpeggio, says he has a machine at home and another at work. “If I had to drink coffee in the street, it would be much more expensive. I really like Nespresso capsules for their flavor and ease of making coffee.” Cost-benefit appears recurrently in the speech of consumers heard.

And after consumption, what to do? Is the Nespresso coffee capsule recyclable?

Yes, Nespresso capsules are made of aluminum and are 100% recyclable. Nespresso is responsible for reverse logistics and receives the material at more than 90 collection points throughout Brazil - worldwide, there are more than 100,000. But for this it is necessary that the consumer does his part, engage in this search for a solution for the waste and take his used capsules to one of the collection points.

A tip for those who live in cities where Nespresso has boutiques is to take your capsules for disposal when restocking. In stores, after the purchase, the customer is given a small bag with a zipper, which prevents the release of smell, to store the used capsules.

This is the case of Alexandre, a very engaged consumer who always takes his capsules for recycling. “I came to the store to bring the used ones and buy more capsules. I always come when the bag is full, then I know it's time to make the change”, she says. It reinforces the importance of taking responsibility for the waste we produce. “I don't think it's right to just throw it in the trash, we need to give it the correct destination. Since the program exists, I think it's important to contribute to this recycling process”, he says.

Although very aware of the importance of recycling, Alexandre believed that the outside of the capsules was made of plastic, a common doubt among Nespresso consumers. What few people know is that aluminum was chosen for the capsules precisely because it is infinitely recyclable and preserves the characteristics and quality of the coffee, preventing the flavor and aroma from being lost.

The aluminum in the capsules fulfills the same function as the vacuum packaging of traditional coffee powders, with the advantage that its recyclability is much better. Vacuum packaging, in general, is made in layers that mix aluminum and plastic, and their recycling requires the separation of these thin layers of different materials. In practice, this increases the degree of difficulty and affects the economic viability of reprocessing these coffee packages.

Another disadvantage of the larger package is that, once opened, the coffee powder flavor is quickly lost, which does not happen in a single dose. Considering that there is a solution provided by Nespresso, capsules are easier to process and aluminum is a commercially valued material in the recycling market.

And does recycling really happen?

This is a common question. The retired banker Magali, for example, doesn't know very well what happens to the capsules. “I think the material is recyclable, since it is aluminum, but you can't be sure if it will actually be recycled”, he believes.

In the case of Nespresso, when the consumer delivers their capsules at one of the collection points registered by the company, recycling not only takes place, but the company's Recycling Center is open to visitation.

It is possible to schedule, on the Nespresso website, a face-to-face visit to the Center, which is located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, or participate in a virtual tour to learn about the process.

In Brazil, Nespresso already offers recycling points nearby for more than 80% of its customers, but the potential for engaging consumers in returning their used capsules still has a lot to grow. In 2017, 13.3% of the capsules consumed here were recycled; in 2018 this number rose to 17% and, for now, in 2019, 20.1% of used capsules have already been recycled. The numbers reinforce the importance of consumers taking on their role in the correct disposal of their waste: to ensure that recycling takes place, it is important that the capsules are returned to Nespresso.

Cláudia Leite, responsible for the Creation of Shared Value area at Nespresso in Brazil, explains that Nespresso was born from the idea of ​​producing high quality coffee in a sustainable way, without waste. “The decision for an aluminum capsule was a conscious one, to protect the coffee's freshness and to be infinitely recycled. By reverse logistics, the collected capsules go to our Recycling Center, where the materials are separated. Each material has a correct destination, according to its characteristics”, he explains.

How do capsules be recycled? Does the process consume a lot of water?

The recycling process for Nespresso capsules is completely mechanical and does not use water. The capsules are crushed in a knife mill and the material goes to a sieve with mechanical vibration, in which the coffee grounds are separated from the aluminum. The coffee then goes to composting and the aluminum to recycling.

Credits: Deividi Correa/AgNews

Is the capsule recycling process maintained by Nespresso profitable for the company?

Quite the opposite. In Brazil alone, Nespresso invests R$5 million per year in its own recycling system. In each country there is a study to identify the best solution for recycling to happen. In the case of Brazil, where it has been present for twelve years, Nespresso kept the used capsules returned by consumers for five years, until the implementation of the Recycling Center in 2011.

Although he is still starting to participate in the recycling of Nespresso capsules, Laércio talks about the value of aluminum for the recycling market. “I know that it is an expensive material and in large quantities this recycling could represent fabulous savings”, he speculates, thinking about the reuse of aluminum to manufacture new products.

Reverse logistics and investment in the maintenance and quality of Nespresso machines are part of the company's efforts to generate positive impacts. The company does everything possible to extend the life of its machines, from manufacturing with a focus on durability to offering technical assistance remotely (with telephone guidance to solve simpler problems) and face-to-face (for more serious failures).

Equipment manufacturing also takes into account the reduction of materials, whenever possible, and 40% of the plastic material in Nespresso coffee machines is made from post-consumer plastic.

What did aluminum and coffee grounds become?

After passing through the equipment at the Recycling Center, the coffee goes to compost and becomes organic fertilizer. Aluminum goes to the foundry and regains its raw material characteristics, and can be used in new products - the material is infinitely recyclable and it is estimated that 75% of all aluminum produced in the world is still in use.

Credits: Deividi Correa/AgNews

Nespresso is one of the founding members of Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI), the organization that launched the first global standard for sustainable aluminum procurement. Nespresso capsules have ASI Standard Performance Certification, which indicates that the material follows sustainability standards in its production. By the year 2020, the company also intends to have the capacity to receive and recycle 100% of Nespresso capsules sold. The current percentage is 92% on a global scale, remaining around 80% in Brazil, as we have already said.

Is it possible to reuse the capsule for a new use?

Once used, it is not possible to clean a capsule and refill it with coffee, but the aluminum from which it is made can be recycled and used to make a new capsule. As processing takes place at very high temperatures, it is possible to use recycled aluminum in food products, as the heat eliminates any potentially harmful micro-organisms.

In Brazil, aluminum is destined for the manufacture of other products, since in terms of environmental footprint it would not pay to send the material back to Switzerland, where the manufacture of Nespresso capsules is concentrated.

In addition, there are projects for upcycle that breathe new life into the capsules, but that doesn't eliminate the need to think about the fate of the material after the craft no longer makes sense. Sending your used capsules for recycling ensures that aluminum returns to the production cycle, generating value and preventing the extraction of new natural resources.

Do I need to wash the capsule and separate the coffee?

If your city has a Nespresso collection point, you just need to take your capsules back to the company. There is no need to separate or tamper with anything, just return the entire capsule, in any type of bag or packaging, and Nespresso takes care of the rest.

Credits: Deividi Correa/AgNews

Does the consumer get any kind of incentive when taking the capsules for recycling?

Nespresso chose to engage its users in sustainable practice, seeking to create the understanding that recycling is an effort that belongs to all members of the consumption chain. The idea is that consumers perceive the minimization of its effects as a benefit in itself, regardless of commercial incentive. “This is a linked and shared responsibility, there are several protagonists who need to act to reach a common goal: a better planet”, explains Cláudia Leite.

Company and consumers must strive to find solutions for the impacts generated, assuming a partnership in which each side plays a fundamental role. Nespresso does its part, which is to offer and think about expansion plans for reverse logistics, and the consumer guarantees that these efforts are not in vain, returning the used capsules to the company.

And how does recycling work in other countries?

Worldwide, the current recycling percentage is 28%, with 92% capacity for reverse logistics. Nespresso looks for the best option in each country where it operates, either by collaborating with the local recycling system or by developing its own recycling center, as in the case of Brazil.

In Germany, for example, capsules are recycled through the government's program, the Duales System Deutschland (DSD). There, in cities like Hamburg, there are laws prohibiting disposables, which were banned in municipal public buildings. But this does not concern the individual choice for Nespresso capsules, which can be consumed at home or in other environments and are recycled by the local selective collection system. The country even has the highest recycling rate for Nespresso.

If I dispose of the used capsule in a recycle bin or common collection point, will it be recycled?

If you discard the entire capsule, most likely not. There are those who believe that they can put the used capsule in the recycling bin for metals, but for now only a few recycling cooperatives have the necessary equipment to open the capsules and separate the coffee grounds from the aluminum.

Credits: Deividi Correa/AgNews

Therefore, whenever possible, return your capsules at Nespresso stores or at collection points available on the company's website. When you need to make new purchases, take the opportunity to take your used capsules. The bag that is delivered to store customers allows you to store the capsules without taking up a lot of space or leaving a smell in your kitchen.

And in the case of corporate customers, how does capsule disposal work?

In São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, which rely on Nespresso's own logistics, companies that hire the professional line have access to return used capsules for recycling at the time of delivery of new capsules.

In other cities where Nespresso has boutiques, deliveries are made by partner distributors, who take the new capsules and collect the used ones, returning with them to the boutique, from where they are forwarded to the Recycling Center. In other cities, the best option is still to disassemble the capsule and send the aluminum for common recycling.

My city does not have a capsule collection station. What are Nespresso's plans to expand recycling possibilities?

Nespresso works with Target 2020, through which it assumed the commitment to offer recycling possibilities to 100% of its customers by the end of 2020. Currently, around 80% of Nespresso consumers in Brazil have access to recycling. This goal applies to both the end consumer (individual) and the professional line customers.

For now, if there is not yet a Nespresso collection point in your region, you can open the capsule and separate the coffee grounds from the aluminum, sending the metallic part for common selective collection. If possible, wash the capsules with reuse water as this facilitates the recycling work.

Coffee grounds can be disposed of as organic waste or sent for composting, if you are a fan of the practice. It can also be used to neutralize odors and exfoliate the skin, among other possible uses.

Remember that aluminum is a material with high commercial value and is infinitely recyclable. This makes it very important to make the correct disposal on your own until Nespresso can provide a collection point in your city.

What is the consumer's role in capsule recycling?

The consumer plays an essential role in recycling capsules - and other waste as well. Everything we consume requires the use of natural resources, which in many cases can return to the production cycle through recycling. On the other hand, when the consumer does not do his part, these residues escape to nature and pollute the environment, with very serious consequences.

It is essential to take responsibility for the waste of what you consume. Do your part and dispose of your Nespresso capsules correctly. Keep the capsules and take them to one of the Nespresso collection points - check the one closest to your home on the Nespresso website.

Customer Nespresso Alexandre recalls that waste is now a source of income. “We always need to try to dispose of our garbage correctly. Capsules are very practical, but this garbage can become a problem. We need to think about what we should do after our consumption, which is to give it the correct destination. Each one of us needs to do our part”, he concludes.

Returning your used capsules for recycling is a citizen contribution that contributes to the circular economy and encourages the recycling chain, allowing waste to return to the production cycle in the form of raw material. On the other hand, if garbage is disposed of incorrectly, it becomes just that: garbage, a worthless material that pollutes the environment, with serious impacts on the entire health and sanitation system.

Nespresso is committed to making its coffees have a positive impact on the world. The effort to recycle coffee capsules is just one part of these efforts, which include optimizing machines, encouraging sustainable coffee bean production and much more.

To learn about the company's other impact initiatives, access the Nespresso Sustainability Report - The Positive Cup and also read the article “Nespresso: coffee, capsule, machines and sustainability?”.

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