Technically this capsule made of Aluminium is the best joice for Nespresso to encapsule the coffee and to be used in the brewing process. Further lots of patents have been made for Nestle and by this way this process is protected very much. Lately just because many of this patents expired they added to any of the billions of their capsules a silicone ring, just for legal reasons to prevent others to use their capsules in their machines. This is just adding now masses of plastics to the already existing environmental desaster.

Most of the users of Nespresso never think about the environmental problem they create by using this capules, as the vast majority are jest disposed of in the houshold garbage and there can only end in landfills or in the see.

The valuable organic used coffee inside cannot be used as the process of seperating is too complicated.

Nespresso from time to time makes some strategic marketing campaigns to cover this subject but do not really adresss this issue. Values as a recycling quota of more than

50 % are absolutely untrue as the recycling can only be done by the users themselves who do not do it, or can better judge if they do, or by nespresso who does not even have facilities and logistic systems to handle such quantities.

Knowing that since the year 2000 about 30 Billion Capsules have been produced the only answer of Nestle would be to evidence how many of this capsules nestle took back and recycled. All the rest was left to others who for sure did not do as it is to complicated and expensive.

The following Link here is one of many trying  trying to push Nespresso for solutions and a good example how much some corageous Institutions try and how good Nestle defends their position to the disadvantage of the public and the environment.

The following statistics partly based on information available on Wikipedia make it evident how big this problem has become and how big it is going to become in future.

Chart 1 presented down here under Charts: shows the development of Nespresso capsules disposed of in our environment based on such statistic figures.

In total as can be seen there are already today around 28. billion capsules stranded in our environment and this will add up to 74 billion capsules in 2016 and to 220 billion capsules in 2020 only 10 years from now. This shows what environmental problems a product like this causes to the environment.

Chart 2 presented down here under Charts: shows the future development of todays annual consumption of about 6.000.000.000.- capsules with the growth value of about 20 % p.a. the statistic shows that in only 4 years from now the quantity will allways double and cause a doubling effect every 4 years.

This means in 2016 it will be 12.billion capsules and in 2020 the annual consumption will be 24.billion capsules, by 2028 about 100 billion capsules and by the year 2044 it will be 1600 Billion capsules per year.

As this capsules can never be recycled and will stay forever in our environment, tha accumulated figures are even more schocking.

Moreover the conumption of coffee will not increase by such values during this time it will be a growth against coffee brewing methods already availeable today brewing coffee completely waste free and allowing the used coffee to be used as humus right out of the machine in every garden or goung without problem into the houshold garbage.

Besides Nespresso there are other companies offering similar products but NESPRESSO is by far the market leader. But needless to say that all types of Coffee portioned in Aluminium or non biodegradeable containers should be banned unless the producers take real care about recycling and do not leave the environment and municipalities alone with the rest of the business once they made theirs.

A kilo of NESPRESSO Coffee costs by the way about 4 times the price of good regular coffee to be processed in machines available anywhere for good prices. 

Depending of the machine one buys, a family drinking 10 cups a day may easily safe enough money during one year alowing them to invest in n expensive coffee machine which will serve them for 10 or more years. 

Even if buying expensive normal coffee the price comparison shows, that one using only 5 Nespresso capsules a day can safe about 6oo Dollars per annum already which already on this level makes the investment of a coffee brewing machine attractive by an amortization within 1 year.

Further as internet sources suggest Nespresso generating such high profits neither take care of the environment nor do they help the coffee farmers by trading fair coffee.

The videoclip made by a swiss organization trying to help against such malpracticeshere shows this and has got a lot of attention.

Still Nespresso is totally reluctant to change their policy and it needs collective actions by consumers to educate such Industries. Furthermore today also biodegradeable capsules are available in the market for those who like the concept but without the environmental impact.