For over 80 years, NESCAFÉ® has been at the forefront of coffee innovation and working to protect the future of coffee for farmers and customers alike.
At Nestlé Professional we’ve been actively looking at ways we can improve our coffee proposition and a crucial area we’ve been able to drive change is through the sourcing and composition of our NESCAFÉ® furniture units.
What we did
For several years we’ve been working with UK-based manufacturer Regency to source a better quality and more sustainable solution for our consumer facing units.
Initially we made the move from single-use panels sourced from outside of the UK and made from MDF, plastic, wood and metal, to a UK-sourced unit board material called “Regency Plastic Board” and made from 90% recycled materials, including coffee grounds.
Quantis for Regency conducted a 2018 Life Cycle Assessment which showed that in comparison to the previous Melamine Faced Chipboard (MFC) and MDF panels, these new panels generated 70% less carbon emissions, if they are used five times.
However, Stuart Fleming, Nestlé Professional’s Trade Asset Manager UK & Ireland, knew we could challenge ourselves further and had a vision for a closed loop solution that would use our own surplus materials to make the panels.
So over the last year we’ve created a new material using our used coffee grounds and waste plastic, which we’ve been able to use while making our NESCAFÉ® self-serve machine furniture. All panels in the new units are made using bespoke materials combined of 70% waste plastic from our Tutbury factory and 30% used Nestlé coffee grounds. This means the boards are solely made from Nestlé waste materials, and completely unique to Nestlé. The material has been called Nestlé Recycled Plastic Coffee Board (NRPCB).
Stuart Fleming, Trade Asset Manager UK & Ireland, Nestlé Professional, commented:
“I feel we should all be doing what we can to support the environment and sustainability. Despite it not being my role or responsibility, I wanted to see if I could introduce a better solution to house our coffee machines. It’s been fantastic seeing this closed loop solution come to life, where we can now transform our own waste into purpose-built furniture. It’s a very proud moment for our team, business and wider community.”
The results
The new panels can be refurbished and reused up to five times. This supports our global packaging and waste reduction commitments. It allows us to take our own waste to manufacture our coffee furniture units, and at the end of their life the unit panels can either be fully refurbed or removed and reconstituted into NRPCB.
Beyond materials, the move has streamlined the supply chain. Five separate distribution stages have been removed, cutting lead times from up to 12 weeks to just 10 days and reducing costs by as much as 55%.
Smaller design touches are also getting an update. While previously made from plastic, condiment holders are now crafted using coffee grounds, adding another layer of circular thinking.
To date approximately 200 units of both the 90% and fully recycled panels have been implemented, and they’ve sparked interest within Nestlé beyond the UK. Other markets are starting to look at how they could replicate this initiative, opening the door to create more impact across our global business.
Julia Jones, Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability, Nestlé Professional, said:
“What I love about this initiative is that the idea came from someone in the business who doesn’t work on sustainability at all. It demonstrates how anyone can drive sustainability action and support our customers on their sustainability journey.”
To learn more about Nestlé Professional’s approach to sustainability and innovation, visit: https://www.nestleprofessional.co.uk/sustainability
