Nespresso introduces paper-based coffee capsules

In Switzerland, coffee and coffee-related products giant Nespresso has launched a pilot of paper-based, home-compostable coffee pods. The innovation, which took three years of R&D on Nespresso’s part, comes as the European Commission works to ban wasteful, single-use coffee brewing systems made of plastics and aluminum.

The capsules will be piloted in France and Switzerland to start.

Forbes notes that the coffee capsule segment was worth an estimated $25.9 billion in 2022 and is growing upwards of 7% a year. Nespresso, which sells 14 billion branded coffee capsules a year, is a market leader.