Good Thinking

Swiss Army Knife made from recovered coffee pods

Swiss Army Knife made from recovered coffee pods
The knife is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website
The knife is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website
View 7 Images
Coffee pods like those offered by Nespresso have a huge environmental footprint
1/7
Coffee pods like those offered by Nespresso have a huge environmental footprint
The knife uses melted down and recast aluminum capsules as the scales on its handle
2/7
The knife uses melted down and recast aluminum capsules as the scales on its handle
The knife is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website
3/7
The knife is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website
The knife's tools include a blade, can opener, two screwdrivers, bottle opener, wine stripper and a punch
4/7
The knife's tools include a blade, can opener, two screwdrivers, bottle opener, wine stripper and a punch
The knife is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website
5/7
The knife is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website
It was actually last year that Nespresso first teamed up with Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife
6/7
It was actually last year that Nespresso first teamed up with Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife
The knife's tools include a blade, can opener, two screwdrivers, bottle opener, wine stripper and a punch
7/7
The knife's tools include a blade, can opener, two screwdrivers, bottle opener, wine stripper and a punch
View gallery - 7 images

Coffee pods like those offered by Nespresso have a huge environmental footprint, with billions ending up in landfills each year where they can take anywhere from 150 to 500 years to break down. The company has taken steps to avoid some of the waste, however, including fashioning some of the recovered metals into a fully functional Swiss Army Knife.

Among the other steps Nespresso has taken to try and address the waste created by single-use coffee capsules is a partnership with recycling company TerraCycle, through which it actually covers the cost of shipping for users to send the pods into a recycling center, where the plastics and metals are melted into new products. A new recycling scheme also kicked off in the UK last month.

It was actually last year that Nespresso first teamed up with Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife, to use some of the recovered metals in one of its famed multi-tools. Apparently the first run was a success, so the duo have returned with a limited-edition knife for 2017 that uses melted down and recast aluminum capsules as the scales on its handle; 24 of them for each knife, to be precise.

It was actually last year that Nespresso first teamed up with Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife
It was actually last year that Nespresso first teamed up with Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife

It must be said, that won't even register a blip on the radar compared to the billions of capsules that end up in landfills each year, so it does seem a bit of a stretch to laud the company for its sustainability efforts here. But hey, it's better than nothing, right? The knife's tools include a blade, can opener, two screwdrivers, bottle opener, wine stripper and a punch. It is available for US$48 through Victorinox's website.

Source: Victorinox

View gallery - 7 images
1 comment
1 comment
danjamesmick
Perhaps some unwarranted criticism of Nespresso here. They've had recycling facilities at point of sale for years here (Adelaide Australia - hardly the central metropolis of the world). They make their pods out of recyclable material, and now you say they are also paying the costs of shipping to recycling centres. Seems like the consumer (or the non-recyclable pods by cheap knock-off companies) is/are the one responsible for any pods that end up in landfill now. Surely we are getting pretty close to the point where it would be the same thing to blame nespresso as blaming a soft drink company for recyclable aluminium cans ending up in landfill (ie misplaced blame)?