Nespresso unveils RE:CYCLE made from recycled aluminium coffee capsules

According to a recent report, Nespresso, at its boutique at Doha Festival City, has unveiled the recycling bike RE:CYCLE, which the Swiss company developed from recycled aluminium coffee capsules in partnership with Swedish lifestyle bike brand Vélosophy.

The launch ceremony was attended by Ashraf Abu Issa, Chairman of Abu Issa Holding Group; Fawaz Idrissi, Senior Vice-President of Abu Issa Holding, Edgar Dorig Ambassador of Switzerland to Qatar; and Iyad Sabarini, General Manager of High Trading International, the exclusive distributor of Nespresso and a group of media representative and lovers of the Swiss brand.

The bike, made from 300 espressos each, took about two years of development. It is expected to set an example for the recycling potential of billions of single-use coffee pods discarded every year. The limited edition model retails for €1,290 ($1,446).

Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nespresso, said: “Through our collaboration with Vélosophy, we're illustrating to coffee lovers the potential of recycling their aluminium Nespresso capsules. By using recycled capsules to make beautiful bicycles, Vélosophy bring sustainability and style together to create a truly meaningful experience, bringing to life the importance of recycling. We have been inspired by working with Vélosophy, and I hope the RE:CYCLE bicycle inspires people to recycle.”

Jimmy Östholm, CEO and Founder of Vélosophy said: “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 aluminium. I see in Nespresso a strong commitment to sustainability, which is why this has been the dream partnership.”

Östholm hopes other product designers to work with recycled aluminium to drive recycling of single-use capsules. A recent study, commissioned by UK coffee start-up Halo, estimates that 56 billion single-use coffee capsules end up in landfills every year.