While coffee pods are a convenience of modern times, they come with a dark side. Most of them end up in our landfills, contributing to the growing challenge of plastic pollution. In an effort to change that, Vélosophy, a Swedish start-up, has developed a sleek solution to this brewing problem – a stylish urban bicycle that only takes 300 discarded Nespresso pods to manufacture.
Crafted in collaboration with Nespresso, the limited edition model called RE:CYCLE showcases the creative possibilities for the afterlife for the billions of single-use coffee pods discarded around the world every year. For Nespresso, RE:CYCLE is a roving reminder for customers to return used coffee pods which take about 150 years to decompose in landfills. The single-use coffee capsules are made out of aluminum, a material that can be melted down and repurposed infinitely.
The bike has a few design details that hint at its origin. The frame’s plum color echoes the packaging of Nespresso’s popular Arpeggio variant; its bell is in the shape of a coffee pod; and the carrier basket has two nifty straps for securing to-go coffee cups, among other things.
