Nestlé UK is turning a coffee production by-product into a source of clean energy, cutting waste and costs at its Tutbury factory in the process.
Since 2015, the site has recycled used coffee beans from Nescafé manufacturing and converted them into biomass fuel. The beans are pressed to remove moisture, then fed into a biomass boiler that generates steam for the coffee-making process. Without this step, the spent beans would otherwise be discarded as waste.
The approach has become significantly more efficient over the past year. In 2024, the biomass boiler supplied 37% of the steam needed at Tutbury. That figure rose to 47% in 2025 after process improvements, allowing the factory to use 97.7% of its used coffee beans as fuel.
The knock-on effects have been substantial. Waste sent off site dropped by 94% since 2024, while greenhouse gas emissions linked to the process fell by 12.9% over the same period. The changes have also lowered disposal costs and reduced reliance on gas for conventional boilers.
Encouraged by the results, Nestlé UK is now looking at whether other manufacturing by-products, including cocoa husks from its other factories, could further boost renewable steam generation.
Mike Parr, industrial services manager at Tutbury, said the team’s role is to support production as efficiently and responsibly as possible. He noted that even small improvements can have a big impact on energy use and emissions at a site of Tutbury’s size, and credited staff across the factory for embracing the project.
Yutika Patel, Tutbury’s factory engineering manager, said the initiative demonstrates how more value can be extracted from materials that would otherwise go to waste, while making operations more resilient.
The project supports Nestlé’s wider goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
