Nespresso works in collaboration with Swedish bike company Vélosophy to use old coffee parts and create RE:CYCLE. Using the recycled pods, the duo transform them into bike parts to form the RE:CYCLE which is made up of mostly recycled aluminum and 20% of it is discarded Nespresso capsules.
Head of Sustainability at Nespresso, Jerome Perez notes that "Coffee and bicycles are an unexpected blend, but at Nespresso, we love to surprise and delight. That’s what RE:CYCLE is all about; blending sustainability and style in order to bring to life the potential of circularity. By using recycled Nespresso capsules to make this beautiful bike, our goal is to encourage people to recycle. But what I’m most proud of is Vélosophy’s one-for-one promise, which is empowering girls to succeed through providing access to transportation with a bicycle."
Recycled Coffee Pod-Made Bicycles
Nespresso and Vélosophy Design the RE:CYCLE Bike
Trend Themes
1. Circular Economy Bicycles - Creating bicycles from recycled materials (such as coffee pods) is a trend that could disrupt the bicycle and sustainability industries, as more companies could adopt circular economy practices.
2. Branded Sustainability Collaborations - Collaborating with sustainability-focused companies to create unique products (e.g. Nespresso and Vélosophy) is a growing trend that offers opportunities for disruptive innovation in the branding and sustainability industries.
3. Women's Empowerment Initiatives - Vélosophy's one-for-one promise to provide bicycles for girls in need offers opportunities for other companies to incorporate women's empowerment initiatives in their business models and social impact programs.
Industry Implications
1. Bicycle Industry - The bicycle industry could be disrupted by the trend of using recycled materials to create unique and sustainable products like the RE:CYCLE bike.
2. Coffee Industry - The coffee industry could explore opportunities to incorporate circular economy practices, such as using discarded coffee pods, to create new products.
3. Sustainability Industry - Collaborations like Nespresso and Vélosophy's RE:CYCLE bike offer opportunities for companies in the sustainability industry to innovate and create unique sustainable products.