Nespresso launches capsule takeback scheme in China

Consumers of the Nespresso brand of coffee capsules in China can now send them for recycling because of a tie-up with a national logistics network.

A doorstep programme has been devised by JD Logistics with capsules being collected and delivered to processing facilities in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou depending on the consumer’s location. Previously, this service was available only for deliveries to Nespresso Boutique locations or for selected B2B customers such as offices, restaurants or hotels.

Capsule becomes knife

Using an app, customers schedule a JD courier to come to their door and pick up used coffee capsules either that day or the next. The aluminium from the capsules will be made into novelty gift products such as Nespresso-branded knives, while the used coffee grounds is used as fertilizer at Nespresso’s eco-farm on the Yangtze River near Shanghai.

Aiming for 100% recycling

‘It’s a great honour to work with JD for this project. Sustainable development is Nespresso’s brand responsibility, as well as the core concept of our business strategy,’ says Alfonso Troisi, Nespresso’s business executive officer in Greater China. ‘We believe we can achieve 100% recycling capacity all over the world in 2020.’

Last year, JD Logistics collected used clothes from Chinese households as part of an effort with the World Wide Fund for Nature to raise awareness of sustainable development in the retail industry.