Informal guidance regarding the ‘recycling of coffee capsules’ initiative

Nine producers of coffee capsules work together to recycle more plastic and aluminum coffee capsules. One key element of that collaboration is that they will make joint investments in technologies (such as sorting machines), as a result of which waste-processing companies will become better at picking out coffee capsules from the residual waste. The waste-processing companies will subsequently ensure that the capsules are recycled. The Royal Dutch association for coffee and tea companies (its full Dutch name: De Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor Koffie en Thee, or KNVKT) had asked ACM to test this collaboration against the competition rules. ACM carried out an informal assessment of this collaboration, and does not see any objections. For example, ACM did not find any risks of price increases or exclusion of competitors. At the same time, ACM does find it important that, in addition to this collaboration, the producers continue to invest in innovation with regard to possible other sustainable solutions too in ways other than through recycling.