Among the most innovative and path-opening sustainable initiatives, Nespresso and Hublot have started collaborating on the launch of. Anew watch made by recycling aluminum capsules and ground coffee remains. The German sneaker project, Nat-2, is betting on a new sneaker including components obtained from recycling aluminum foil remains.
Giving new life to coffee and aluminum leftovers
As part of its Second Life initiatives over the last seven years, Nespresso has partnered with some prestigious Swiss brands to create new products from used aluminum capsules.
Founded in 1980, Hublot is renowned for its Art of Fusion, developing new alloys, materials and composites, pushing the boundaries of different materials and placing rubber at the heart of the watchmaking industry by using it for its straps.
Since 1986, Nespresso has started offering its portioned system in its Art of Coffee project and has also added even greater value with its recycling system, designed in 1991, that started separating the aluminum from the coffee grounds, enabling each component to be repurposed. That’s how a coffee capsule can now become a watch, from strap to case.
Hublot and Nespresso have developed a system for recycling used coffee grounds from the capsules into watch straps. Then the recycled aluminum is fused with the aluminum capsules and becomes the case, the bezel, the crown and the pusher of this new durable watch model–The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin.
The Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin takes the recycled coffee grounds from Nespresso capsules and applies the magic of Hublot’s patented One Click interchangeable strap system to them. To create the rubber strap, Hublot has skillfully balanced the ratio of each ingredient to achieve the desired color and quality.
For the fabric strap, Hublot has collaborated with Sing Tex, one of Nespresso’s partners, who was already using recycled coffee grounds to produce a fabric called Scafé. This 100% recycled fabric (composed of 5% coffee grounds and 95% recycled polyester) is being used for the first time to make a watch strap. To ensure the durability of the bracelet, which also sees the rubber strap fusing 4.1% coffee grounds, 8.2% recycled white rubber and the usual Hublot formula.
It took Hublot a whole year of R&D, working closely with Nespresso, to finally achieve the perfect harmony of colors between the seven different materials that make up the watch–from its case to its straps (anodised aluminum, the varnish on the dial and hands, the Hublot logo decal on the glass, the rubber of the strap, and the fabric, lining and hook & loop tape of the Velcro strap), and to ensure that this uniformity of color would stand the test of time.
Created entirely from oak, including its hinges, it is carved from massive, traceable wood, whose sourcing and manufacture both promote short supply chains. It is designed to be a reusable item, with 98% of its removable interior made from eco-friendly and recycled components. It is made from recycled fabrics, plastic yarns and PET, as well as recycled paper and cardboard that are eco-labelled. For the collaboration with Nespresso, the Hublot Greenbox case is specially decorated with the two brands’ logos, affixed using coffee grounds.
The watch is available in a 200-piece limited edition only at the retail price of €25,200 .
How sneakers can help recycle aluminum
Munich based footwear brand Nat-2 is launching a new vegan PETA approved sneaker selection made from recycled post consumer household aluminum foil.
The new sneaker model was designed by 6th generation footwear designer Sebastian Thies using German engineered ingredients such as the brand's signature bioceramic lining and produced under fair conditions by a small family-run manufacturer in Italy. The heel and tongue also feature a smooth, reflective 3M glass surface. The shoe is completed by a real cork removable insole.
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