Dive Brief:
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Nespresso has more than doubled the number of states (from 20 to 48) that can participate in its used capsule recycling program via its partnership with UPS. The manufacturer provides pre-paid recycling bags to mail the capsules to any one of 88,000 UPS drop-off sites, according to PR Newswire.
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Additionally, bags can be passed to other UPS sources, including drivers, stores, drop boxes, customer centers, and authorized shipping outlets as well as some Office Depots and Staples. Five-hundred collection points also receive the wasted capsules including US Nespresso boutiques and other retail drop-off locations.
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The bags ultimately end up at Nespresso partner Ag Choice, where the aluminum and coffee grounds are separated; the grounds converted to compost and topsoil, and the aluminum processed to make new products.
Dive Insight:
The first single-serve coffee pods ranked up there with the proverbial slice of bread for their convenience. But they weren't recyclable and fast stockpiling on landfills.
As early as 1991, Nespresso claimed it was seeing that its pods were recycled. Still, since 1991 the Nestle brand has invested big to divert them. By 2012, Nespresso announced it had reached its 75% recycling target a year in advance, with 20,000 collection points in more than 19 markets around the globe.
The ongoing and expanded partnerships are part of the plan to reach further.
Meanwhile, other coffee pod manufacturers have upped their game to spare the planet from pods, including Keurig, Melitta, and Canada's G-Kup Coffee and Club Coffee.
