THE POSITIVE CUP, OR HOW TO ACCELERATE POSITIVE IMPACT TOWARDS 2030

27.01.2023

For over 30 years, we have been seeking to embed sustainability into our everyday business. Since 2013, this has been called: “The Positive Cup” – a strategy that remains at the heart of our business and that reinforces our conviction that coffee must be a force for good.

 

The 2030 Positive Cup Strategy: a new framework

The Positive Cup Strategy towards 2030 introduces a new framework built upon our strategic priorities and convictions: values-based, fundamental beliefs that we hold as a company and that shape the way we act. Each conviction leads us to an ambition, with associated measurable goals and time-bound milestones. We also report performance against core KPIs related to each strategic priority.

“The 2030 Positive Cup Strategy reflects the interconnected nature of the challenges we face. We aim to achieve a net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, contributing to a low-carbon and nature-positive economy that leaves no one behind”, says Jérôme Perez, Global Head of Sustainability at Nespresso.

 

Key achievements from the past decade

At Nespresso we have a core belief – that the coffee sector has the potential to be a powerful force for good in the world, with the capacity to improve the lives and livelihoods of people and to regenerate and restore nature and biodiversity. We have worked hard to turn this belief into action, and we are proud of what we have achieved: 

 

  • 2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of our AAA Program, which has grown from 300 farmers in Costa Rica in 2003 to over 140,000 farmers in 18 countries today. 
  • Over 6m trees have been planted in AAA landscapes since 2014.
  • We have delivered a carbon footprint reduction of –24% of each Nespresso cup in 2020 versus 2009.
  • Since 1991 we have been working with municipal partners to develop recycling solutions and now 88% of our consumers have access to a convenient recycling solution and all our capsules contain 80% recycled aluminium.
  • Over CHF720m has been invested in The Positive Cup initiatives since 2014, and in April 2022, Nespresso became one of the largest companies to become B Corp™Certified.

 

Ambitious goals for the next decade

However, we recognise that we need to do more, and we have set ourselves ambitious goals for the next decade:

 

  • We believe that a low-carbon economy is the only future so we will continue to reduce and remove emissions throughout our value chain as we grow as a business, accelerating the work towards net zero.
  • We also believe that coffee agriculture can make a significant contribution to addressing the most pressing environmental and social challenges: mitigating climate change, halting and reversing biodiversity loss, and supporting sustainable livelihoods and food security. We will therefore advance our regenerative agricultural practices to restore landscapes and expand proven solutions that build resilient communities and transform livelihoods.
  • We will continue to endorse circular principles where end-of-life materials are considered resources from the very start.

This journey ahead of us requires us to collaborate, we know we can’t achieve all our ambitions alone, and we will continue to harness the strength of our brand, people, and partnerships for positive impact through 2030 and beyond.

 

RESOURCES

Discover “The Positive Cup Report towards 2030” and learn more about our achievements, what we believe in, and how this shapes our sustainability strategy towards 2030 and beyond

 

Watch our video “The Positive Cup: Accelerate positive impact towards 2030”.