It's been three decades since the aluminium coffee capsules were introduced to better preserve the fresh taste and quality of the Grand Crus beverages. Since, the importance of recycling the aluminium has grown as people changed their relationship to both the environment and their lifestyles.

The capsules are now collected in 36 countries, the company says, and they're getting a new look through the Second Life project. Nestle's Nespresso has a target of achieving 100 percent sustainably managed aluminium by 2020, and Second Life is part of the overall strategy to close the loop so that all the aluminium used in the coffee capsules is considered an end-to-end resources. That's why the company is looking at manufacturing new products made from the recycled Nespresso coffee capsules.

The first item to get the Second Life treatment is a limited edition version of the Pioneer Victorinox Swiss Army knife. When it was first introduced, the classic Pioneer sported aluminium handles, along with the handy knife blade, bottle opener, can opener and other features. While it still remains on the market today, the limited edition's aluminium cladding will be made entirely from recycled Nespresso capsules – the equivalent weight of 24 of capsules, to be precise – and will be sold in the popular color of Nespresso's Arpeggio.

The knives were only available in Switzerland at the Nespresso boutiques, but can be ordered online from Victorinox or Nespresso. In a joint statement, the CEOs of both Nespresso and Victorinox said the partnership is meant to showcase the quality of Swiss design and innovation while encouraging people to recycle the capsules.

The environmentally friendly win-win has encouraged Nespresso to press forward with the Second Life initiative. Next up is Zena, the company made famous for its vegetable peelers. The Zena Rex, the original peeler launched in 1947, will soon be manufactured with recycled capsules in a special limited edition.

So how are the capsules actually being manufactured into new items? That's where Constellium lends a hand. The German aluminium company has taken charge not just of turning used capsules into Victorinox army knives, but also of turning used capsules into new ones. That's the case with the Rosabaya Grand Cru range, which was introduced in 2016 with capsules made 100 percent from recycled capsules. Constellium draws on Nespresso's long-standing experience selling coffee making machines from recycled capsules, as is the case with the Pixie machine since 2012.

All of the Second Life offerings – and the company plans more in the future – depend on the availability of recycled capsules, and that's where Nespresso excels at calling on consumers to sign up to the company's sustainability goals by voluntarily recycling their used pods.

Nespresso is trying to make that easier with 14,000 dedicated collection points across the world, and over 88,000 drop-off locations at UPS shipping businesses in the United States. Used Nespresso capsules can also be collected in Germany, Sweden and Finland as part of their national recovery plans. The global collection capacity for used capsules was at 86 percent in 2015.