Nespresso Says Every Cup of Its Coffee Will be Carbon Neutral by 2022

Since 2017, the company has been carbon neutral across its business operations, and has committed to achieving full carbon neutrality across its supply chain and product life cycle.  

MONTREAL, Sept. 17, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Nespresso today commits that every cup of Nespresso coffee, both for at-home and for professional customers, will be carbon neutral by 2022. This new ambition builds on more than 10 years of work during which Nespresso has reduced its carbon emissions and compensated the remainder through agroforestry.

"Climate change is a reality and our future depends on going further and faster on our sustainability commitments. That is why we are accelerating our commitments to offer our consumers a way to drink a carbon neutral cup of coffee by 2022. A coffee, made from the finest and rarest beans, sustainably sourced. I truly believe that both our business and the coffee industry can be a force for good in the world by tackling this pressing issue," said Guillaume Le Cunff, CEO of Nespresso.

"Today's announcement also echoes a series of initiatives that have been put forward in Canada since the brand's arrival in the country in 2009. These include the key role that the company plays in the reduction of residual materials across the country with its capsule recycling program. Our most recent recycling solution, the Green Bag Solution, is hugely successful in nearly 500 municipalities, and we have every intention of expanding it across the country", underlines Alfonso Troisi, President of Nespresso Canada.

Having already achieved carbon neutrality in its business operations (scopes 1 & 2) since 2017, the company's new commitment will tackle emissions that occur in its supply chain and product life cycle (scope 3).

Nespresso will achieve carbon neutrality through the following initiatives: the reduction of carbon emission; the planting of trees in and around coffee farms where Nespresso sources its coffee (insetting); and through support and investment in high quality offsetting projects.

1.  Carbon emission reduction: A crucial element of Nespresso's vision is to decarbonize its value chain. These immediate initiatives include:

• Sustainable energy usage within Nespresso's operations: Driving towards 100% renewable energy in all Nespresso boutiques and increasing the use of biogas within the manufacturing process.
• Expanded circularity of Nespresso products and packaging: Increasing the use of recycled plastic within Nespresso machines, as well as of recycled and low carbon virgin aluminium within coffee capsules.

2.  Planting trees in coffee farms and the surrounding landscapes (insetting): Trees are the best way to capture carbon from the atmosphere while investing in nature and building a regenerative agricultural system. Planting trees provides the shade needed to improve the quality and quantity of a coffee harvest. The roots also help protect against soil erosion and landslides and promote soil regeneration. With its partner Pur Projet, Nespresso will triple the capacity of planting trees (with insetting) in coffee producing countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Costa Rica.

3.  Accelerate to make an immediate positive impact (offsetting initiatives): Nespresso will also invest in projects to support forest conservation and restoration as well as implement clean energy solutions within farming communities.

This carbon neutral commitment is part of a broader sustainability ambition that will be further communicated later this year: to preserve exceptional coffees, build a resilient and regenerative coffee agriculture system, drive sustainable livelihoods for farmers and build a circular business.

QUOTES FROM OUR PARTNERS: The 2022 carbon neutrality roadmap has been endorsed by the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board (NSAB) members.

GEORGE CLOONEY, NESPRESSO BRAND AMBASSADOR "Climate change is happening now, which means that we must all take responsibility and action, quickly," said George Clooney, actor, Nespresso Global Brand Ambassador and member of the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board. "It's clear that Nespresso understands this urgency and is putting our planet and people front and center of the choices it makes. These ambitions and vision build on a commitment to sustainability that I have been privileged to have been involved in over the last seven years. I've seen how far we've come in that time, and I'm excited to see the good that Nespresso can deliver in the next 10 years."

TRISTAN LECOMTE, CO-FOUNDER, PUR PROJET "The pressure is on for all businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and Nespresso is clearly showing a strong will to tackle its own carbon emissions via this ambitious and qualitative carbon neutral program. While we all search for the technical innovations that will reduce carbon, it is urgent that businesses invest as well in the sequestration of their emissions to balance their books as quickly as possible," said Tristan Lecomte, Founder, Pur Projet, member of the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board. "We've been proud to support Nespresso in doing this, planting millions of trees across the globe within coffee regions in Colombia, Guatemala and Ethiopia to take carbon dioxide out of the air since 2014. We will continue working together and triple the capacity of the carbon insetting program and regenerating the ecosystems we all depend upon." 

About Nestlé Nespresso Nestlé Nespresso SA is the pioneer and reference for highest-quality portioned coffee. The company works with more than 110,000 farmers in 14 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 The 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.

Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 84 countries and has 14,250 employees. In 2019, it operated a global retail network of 810 boutiques. The brand currently has more than 100,000 points to collect its used capsules globally, enabling 91% of its consumers to recycle. For more information, visit the Nespresso corporate website http://www.nestle-nespresso.com.