Nespresso UK has announced a partnership with Royal Mail that will transform coffee capsule recycling for households across the country.
Nespresso customers now have two new options for recycling their coffee capsules with the UK’s most trusted delivery company. They can arrange a free doorstep collection from their local postie using Royal Mail’s returns service. Alternatively, they can drop them off at any of the 14,000+ Royal Mail drop-off locations, including Royal Mail Customer Service Points and Post Offices.
Research commissioned by Nespresso to mark Recycle Week demonstrates just how important it is for recycling to be simple and convenient: despite 91% of Brits claiming they often recycle, many said they find recycling confusing (42%), and difficult (32%)*.
This partnership will increase nationwide access to easy and effective recycling methods for Nespresso capsules. Just over half of Royal Mails’ routes are wholly or partly on foot which helps to keep emissions low when compared to other carriers**.
Anna Lundstrom, CEO, Nespresso UK & ROI said: “Nespresso’s official partnership with Royal Mail brings recycling to the heart of the community, no matter where you live in the UK. Royal Mail is not only an iconic British institution, it also is recognised as having the lowest emissions per parcel** as their 'feet on the street' posties walk up to a billion steps a day. Recycling needs to be convenient, simple, and sustainable – and our partnership with Royal Mail is central to achieving that vision.”
Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail said: “We’re really pleased to be working with Nespresso to support their coffee capsule recycling. Everyone knows when their postie delivers so it’s really convenient to arrange for them to collect at the same time. If customers aren’t going to be in, Royal Mail can also collect from a safe place. To make it even more convenient, if customers don’t have a printer our posties can print and bring the label to the doorstep.
“And if Nespresso customers don’t want to arrange a collection, they can drop their capsules off at one of our 14,000+ Royal Mail locations. This is part of our commitment to continuously make our services more convenient as we re-invent the way we deliver to and collect from our customers.”
A pioneer of coffee capsule recycling, Nespresso also co-founded not-for-profit coffee pod recycling service Podback. Nespresso UK customers can still use this service and can still drop their used capsules at any Nespresso Boutique.
Nespresso’s capsules are made with 80% recycled aluminium which is infinitely recyclable. Recycled aluminium is turned into new products such as beverage cans and car components. Used coffee grounds are also used to create soil improver, used on cereal farms in East Yorkshire, and renewable energy to power UK homes.
* Research was carried out by One Poll between 4th and 6th October 2023 with 2,000 adult respondents.
** When measured in terms of the CO2e emissions per parcel reported by the UK parcel delivery companies who currently publicly report these.
About Nestlé Nespresso SA
Nestlé Nespresso SA is the pioneer and reference for highest-quality portioned coffee. The company works with more than 140,000 farmers in 18 countries through its AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program to embed sustainability practices on farms and the surrounding landscapes. Launched in 2003 in collaboration with the NGO Rainforest Alliance, the program helps to improve the yield and quality of harvests, ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality coffee and improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities.
In 2022, Nespresso achieved B Corp™ certification - joining an international movement of over 6,500 purpose-led businesses that meet B Corp’s high standards of social and environmental responsibility and transparency.
Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 74 markets and has over 13’000 employees. In 2022, it operated a global retail network of 791 boutiques. For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website: www.nestle-nespresso.com.
About Royal Mail
International Distributions Services plc is the parent company of Royal Mail Group Limited, the leading provider of postal and delivery services in the UK and the UK’s designated universal postal service provider. Royal Mail comprises the company’s UK and international parcels and letters delivery businesses operating under the “Royal Mail” and “Parcelforce Worldwide” brands. Through the Royal Mail Core Network, the company delivers a one-price-goes-anywhere service on a range of parcels and letters products. Royal Mail has the capability to deliver to around 32 million addresses in the UK, six days a week (excluding UK public holidays). Parcelforce Worldwide operates a separate UK network which collects and delivers express parcels. International Distributions Services plc also owns General Logistics Systems (GLS) which operates one of the largest ground-based, deferred parcel delivery networks in Europe.