A trip to Stockholm with a focus on sustainability

I love revisiting Stockholm for a dose of Scandi chic, colourful facades and of course cinnamon buns. This trip was no different in that sense, but in addition to all the usual things, it was focused on sustainability.

First things first - a stroll through Stockholm’s old town Gamla Stan to kick off the trip. Followed by a stop at the Monteliusvagen viewpoint to admire the views of the city.

And this takes me to the real purpose of this trip - an exciting launch with Nespresso, which I joined as part of my on-going partnership with the brand. In the evening, we arrived at the launch venue, Spritmuseum - below is the view from across the road.

That evening an exciting new product was unveiled to the public. Continuing it’s commitment to sustainability, Nespresso has partnered with a Swedish start-up Vélosophy to produce a bicycle made from recycled aluminium coffee capsules. There are 300 recycled Nespresso capsules in each bike, plus a capsule-shaped bell and cup-holder basket so you can enjoy your favourite drink on the go!

What’s more - Vélosophy is the only bicycle brand in the world with a full one-for-one promise: for every Vélosophy bike produced, another bike is given to a schoolgirl in Africa to improve her access to education. For every RE:CYCLE bike created by Vélosophy in partnership with Nespresso, a bike will be donated to a girl through World Bicycle Relief.

The morning after the event we woke up early to have another walk through old town and were lucky to have it almost all to ourselves.

After an early start, we popped into Stockholm Nespresso boutique for a much-needed caffeine kick. Have you ever heard of Swedish tradition called fika? If you haven’t, you are totally missing out! Fika is the time you take throughout the day for a coffee break with something sweet (very often cinnamon buns) - fika can be shared with family, friends and colleagues.

Stockholm archipelago consists of 24,000 islands and the best way to see some of them is to take a boat. That’s how we got to our next location - Rosendals Trädgård.

Rosendals Trädgård - is a botanic garden focused on biodynamic agriculture. It reminded me of Petersham Nurseries in London if you know what I mean. We had a delicious zero-waste lunch in one of the garden’s conservatories and listened to Jimmy (Velosophy founder) who shared a story of the making of the bike. We then had an opportunity to test the bikes ourselves.

You know my love for libraries so during free time I couldn’t miss an opportunity to pop into the gorgeous Stockholm Public Library.

Last stop was Nobis Hotel to see the beautiful spiral staircase and then it was time to go back home.

This post is a part of my on-going partnership with Nespresso.

2 days in the French part of Switzerland with Nespresso

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Nespresso to spend 2 days in their headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to learn everything about their coffee production process and sustainability initiatives. 

I am very excited about the opportunity to work with Nespresso over the next 6 months as I've been an active user of their products for a few years already, and it's always fascinating to know more about the brand you encounter with on a daily basis.

For me coffee drinking is a serious business - I usually only drink one cup a day (2 cups max when I'm on holiday) so I want to make the most out of it! 

We started the trip with a tour of the campus that has this gorgeous view. We then learned about the sustainability program that the company has implemented on all levels - starting from the coffee farms to the factories and finishing with the packaging - Nespresso capsules are made of 100% aluminium which is fully recyclable (more on it later).

After a delicious lunch and coffee, we set to explore the factory where the capsules are produced. No pictures at the factory are allowed but I can assure you it's made up to all the possible standards of Swiss efficiency - the factory is a closed loop system in terms of energy consumption. Factory tour followed by coffee tasting and we even had an opportunity to channel our inner baristas (not as easy as it seems!).

The day finished with a wonderful dinner at Lausanne Palace Hotel where we stayed for the night. It was really interesting to try the whole menu inspired by Nespresso coffee.

Next morning I set my alarm early to have some me time to wander around the beautiful Lausanne. I stopped in the old town and then made my way to the lake.

The morning officially started at Nespresso boutique with a coffee recipe workshop. We tried a few coffee cocktails based on unexpected flavour combinations and saw a latte art demonstration just to realise once again that it's not as easy to make as it looks.

The day continued with a visit to the capsule recycling plant in Moudon where we saw with our own eyes that not only the aluminium capsules are fully recyclable but the coffee grounds are too - they are being separated at the facility and are later used for green energy and compost, so nothing goes to waste. 

When I shared stories from the trip on my Instagram I received many questions about the capsule recycling. There are a few options that are currently available in the UK:

- take a full recycling bag to your local Boutique

- request a collection when placing an order online 

- drop off your bag at any CollectPlus point (in case your Boutique is far away) with a dedicated label - more information here.

Did you know that Switzerland produces some delicious white wines? During the trip, we had an opportunity to meet Blaise Duboux, owner of the vineyard in Lavaux region and 8th generation winemaker. Blaise uses recycled coffee grounds to fertilize and nourish the soil in his vineyard. Not only the wines taste amazing but the views are incredibly beautiful too!

I was a guest of Nespresso. All views are my own.