The single-use coffee capsule industry has been under the watchful eye of consumers worldwide but one company takes great strides in its recycling program. Nespresso is constantly looking for innovative companies to collaborate with and to encourage us to think about next level recycling. This time, it's with Swedish bike company, Velosophy.
Earlier this week, Nespresso announced the collaboration with Velosophy in creating RE:CYCLE - stylish and meaningful bicycles made with recycled Nespresso capsules demonstrate the potential of recyclable aluminum.
“We created Vélosophy with a clear purpose: to have a positive impact on the world. This purpose drives everything we do, from our promise to give a bike to a schoolgirl for every Vélosophy we sell, to producing our stylish city bikes from recycled aluminum. I see in Nespresso a strong commitment to sustainability, which is why this has been a dream partnership. We are proud to have co-created a bike that takes on the future. It is beautifully designed, responsibly sourced and sustainably produced," said Jimmy Östholm, CEO and Founder of Vélosophy.
Aluminum is one of the world’s most valuable resources because it can be remelted and reused infinitely, allowing craftsmen to give waste a second life.
The limited edition Vélosophy RE:CYCLE bike is an icon of circular economy design. Created for conscious-living coffee lovers using the aluminum from recycled Nespresso capsules, Vélosophy has re-imagined their classic model in bright purple in a nod to Nespresso’s popular Arpeggio coffee. RE:CYCLE will delight Nespresso fans with its capsule-shaped bell and cup-holder basket giving them the chance to enjoy their favorite drink on the go
1000 RE:CYCLE bikes will be available exclusively from Vélosophy’s e-commerce platform velosophy.cc, priced at €1250, plus shipping fees.
Vélosophy is the only bicycle brand in the world with a one- for-one promise: for every bike they sell, another is given to a schoolgirl in Africa to improve her access to education. For every RE:CYCLE bike created by Vélosophy in partnership with Nespresso, another bike will be donated to a girl in Ghana through World Bicycle Relief.
Nespresso aluminum capsules are fully recyclable – including the coffee grinds. Nespresso opened its first recycling program in Switzerland in 1991 and invests approximately 40 million Swiss Francs a year to the program. Today the program is available in more than 53 countries . A range of options for convenient recycling of their used capsules, from a network of more than 100,000 drop-off points to door-step collections and mail-back programs.
In Canada, three simple recycling solutions are in place, depending on the location of the consumers.
The Green bag program is a curbside recycling solution currently available in more than 330 municipalities in Canada, including Montreal and Vancouver. Customers put their used Nespresso aluminum capsules in a tear-resistant, recyclable plastic bag, which is then placed in their home’s recycling bin.
The Red Bag program, available in 10 full provinces and territories allows customers to drop-off their sealed capsule-filled bag at a Canada Post outlet or mailbox at no extra cost and the shipping label is prepaid by Nespresso.
Finally the Black Bag is for returns in one of the 52 collecting points in Canada, including Nespresso Boutiques.
Once sorted out, Nespresso takes care of the materials, reusing the aluminum and repurposing the coffee grinds as a component of local farmer’s compost solutions.
Nespresso has also partnered with Caran d’Ache and Victorinox to develop limited-edition accessories. The Caran d’Ache 849 Nespresso ballpoint pen and Victorinox third limited-edition “Original Swiss Army Knife”, “Pioneer Nespresso Dharkan” are both made from recycled aluminium coffee capsules.
