Nestlé has unveiled plans to invest roughly €15m ($15.7m) in its factory in Girona, Catalonia, Spain to bolster production of coffee products with recyclable packaging.
The investment will support the development of two new packaging lines for the group’s Nescafé instant coffee and Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules, which have already started being constructed.
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In a statement, Nestlé said the new lines would enable its Spanish business to use more recyclable materials, reduce its use of virgin plastics and use more energy-efficient machinery.
The new production lines will feature “the latest technology and a high level of automation,” it added.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Para Arnau Pi, director of Nestlé’s Girona factory, said the investment “reinforces our commitment to sustainability”.
The Girona factory will also start producing Nescafé refill bags. The products were launched onto the Spanish market in 2023.
Just Drinks has asked Nestlé to confirm whether this will mark the first time the products are being manufactured in Spain.
Additionally, a new “high-speed” line for Nescafé sachets will package the products in recyclable mono-material.
The new sachet line will reduce virgin plastic use by 60t annually and produce 1,200 sachets per minute, the Swiss company said.
The Girona factory will continue to produce Nescafé Classic Natural and Nescafé Classic Decaffeinated sachets for catering, hospitality, and retail sectors, but now in recyclable packaging.
Pi added: “The implementation of these new packaging lines will allow us to use recyclable materials, marking a crucial step toward reducing virgin plastics and promoting a circular economy.”
In January, the factory received over €500,000 to reduce water use in Nescafé production.
The investment aims to cut the factory’s annual water consumption by 8% from 2023 levels.
In 2024, Nestlé invested more than €76m in Spain.
The company’s Spanish arm manages ten factories in the country, according to its 2024 annual review, which produce goods across its powdered and liquid drinks, water, milk products and ice cream, nutrition and health science, prepared dishes and cooking aids, confectionary and pet care divisions.
