So, what happened in 1984? Well, Medicare came into effect, the One Dollar coin was introduced in Australia, France beat Spain 2-0 to win Euro84, and although most people don't realise it, the Nespresso capsule system was created.
Although the first couple of attempts for Nespresso Capsules didn't take off in the marketplace, the last ten years has proven successful for the Nespresso Capsule system. There are trade-offs with the system though, resulting in only 5 grams of coffee per serve vs 9-18 (or more) grams from a dedicated coffee machine and the capsules are not currently easily recyclable. The capsules are made from a combination of aluminium and plastic, and considering they weigh a total of 3 grams for each package, the coffee is only an additional 5 grams - that's a lot of packaging when considering the product to waste ratio.
Although the first couple of attempts for Nespresso Capsules didn't take off in the marketplace, the last ten years has proven successful for the Nespresso Capsule system. There are trade-offs with the system though, resulting in only 5 grams of coffee per serve vs 9-18 (or more) grams from a dedicated coffee machine and the capsules are not currently easily recyclable. The capsules are made from a combination of aluminium and plastic, and considering they weigh a total of 3 grams for each package, the coffee is only an additional 5 grams - that's a lot of packaging when considering the product to waste ratio.
In an effort to green their procurements, the city of Hamburg in Germany has introduced a ban on certain packaged products purchased with council funds, ultimately taxpayer monies. This ban includes coffee capsules like Nespresso. The issue is that they are not easily recycled, but that does not mean they cannot be recycled at all. Nespresso runs their own recycling program with many of the capsules being recycled to form products such as components for the automotive industry.
