On the occasion of International Recycling Day (March 18), the Nestlé Group in Italy (with the Nescafé Dolce Gusto brand) and illycaffè recall their commitment to sustainability through Recap, the first national project focused on recycling plastic capsules. Born at the end of 2021 with a pilot, the project was strengthened with the birth of the "Alliance for the recycling of plastic capsules", founded by the two companies in November 2024, and ready to welcome other producers and distributors of coffee capsules who intend to join the project. The initiative aims to create a circuit for the collection and recycling of used coffee capsules thanks to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Emilia Romagna Region and local urban waste managers. In the pilot phase alone, carried out in recent years, 750 thousand capsules were collected.

Initially tested in four municipalities in the Friuli and Julian regions, Recap has recently been extended to Emilia Romagna, with the municipalities of Bologna and Ferrara joining the project. Currently, in the two regions, there are 28 municipalities involved and 37 capsule collection centers.

Recap represents a virtuous model that demonstrates that collaboration between the public and private sectors is not only possible, but must become the path to follow to achieve truly significant results in terms of circular economy. From this perspective, it is essential for companies to join forces and work synergistically with their competitor colleagues, as is the case with Nestlé and illycaffè, with the aim of also including other companies and operators. The initiative also aims to raise awareness and responsibility among citizens in the areas where the project is active, actively involving them thanks to the possibility of returning used capsules to the appropriate collection centers selected in their area. From here, the capsules are then sent for treatment in a specialized plant for the separation of plastic and coffee to experiment and identify possible applications of the two materials.

Nestlé and illycaffè's participation in the Recap project is part of the two companies' larger commitment to improving the sustainability of their packaging by working along several lines: investing in the creation of circular economy initiatives, strengthening waste management infrastructure, redesigning their packaging and optimizing the use of recyclable and reusable materials.

"This Day represents for us the opportunity to reiterate that, as the Recap project demonstrates, collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential to promote circular economy initiatives that can become truly effective. Only in this way, in fact, can we transform challenges into opportunities and create synergies that involve institutions, companies and communities. This is why we have created an Alliance that is also open to other companies that intend to work with us on the circularity of coffee capsules" said Marta Schiraldi , Head of Sustainability Nestlé Italia.

“International Recycling Day invites us to reconsider our daily habits and reflect on the opportunity to adopt a more sustainable and responsible approach. The Recap project represents the synthesis of illycaffè's commitment to pursuing a circular economy model that encourages recycling and favors the regeneration of resources. Concrete actions that reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption,” says David Brussa , Chief Total Quality & Sustainability Officer of illycaffè.