No. A life cycle analysis has shown that a composted Nespresso capsule has a similar impact on the environment* as a recycled aluminum capsule from Nespresso. The home compostable capsule was developed to suit the personal preferences and lifestyles of some of our customers.
Aluminum is theoretically infinitely recyclable and it is one of the best materials to preserve the freshness and protect aromas of our coffee for a long shelf life. Currently, capsules can be recycled through our recycling bags (by dropping them in or having them picked up). To make recycling even easier for consumers, we are investing in a general recycling system with municipalities for aluminum capsules. We announced the first collaboration to this end last December (2023). Read more on this page.
*Nespresso commissioned a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in France and Switzerland to assess the environmental impact of their product. An LCA considers the full life cycle of a product, including production, distribution, use and end-of-life, including packaging. The LCA quantifies the environmental impacts associated with all raw materials used in the production, distribution, use and end-of-life processing of the product. Thus, this study assesses the life cycle of an espresso cup of coffee prepared and consumed at home in Switzerland. The conclusions of this LCA adaptation for the Swiss market are in line with the main conclusions of the baseline study for the French market: the Nespresso with the home compostable packaging and the Nespresso with the aluminum packaging have a similar carbon footprint (79 g CO2-eq and 81 g CO2-eq, respectively). This is because the impact is systematically dominated by the green coffee supply and use stage, while the end-of-life of the packaging (recycled or composted) has a lesser impact on the overall environmental footprint. Read more about this study here: Summary_CH_B2CComparativeLCAISOReport_2023_Quantis.pdf (nestle-nespresso.com)
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