Coffee is a staple beverage around the world and most Filipinos probably drink one cup every morning to start their day. In 2015, a study by Kantar Worldpanel showed that almost every Filipino household buys coffee, mainly the 3-in-1 variety.
Photo Source: Comunicaffe International
Although, what most of us rarely think about is the time we spend drinking that coffee cup which is probably less than an hour compared to how long it will break down in landfills which are around, reportedly, 30 years.
Now, local and international corporations have been doing their part in changing the people’s lifestyle by creating better options for them when using a default container. In this case, for instance, this company has found a way of using coffee grounds as a more sustainable and recyclable container for its consumers who will purchase coffee.
For over three years now, this company based in Berlin started a company called Kaffeeform. The company has been creating eco-friendly coffee cups from the recycled coffee grounds in cafés across Berlin, Germany.
Julian Lecher, the founder of Kaffeeform, talks about how it’s not just disposable cups, straws, and lids that are wasteful. Used-up coffee grounds also contribute to the waste we humans produce. In 2009, she was still studying product design where she came up with the idea and design for an eco-friendly cup and mug.
“We had a lot of coffee all the time. At some point, I was wondering what happens with all these spent coffee grounds,” Lechner shares.
Apparently, Germany is a major coffee-consumer in Europe where each person will go through 14 lbs. of coffee beans per year. The leftover paper, plastic and foam coffee cups will end up thrown away where it will take years to decompose. So, Kaffeeform continues to tackle this wasteful problem by collecting the coffee grounds.
From there, the grounds will be cleaned at Kaffeeform’s workshop where after it’s transported, the grounds will be dried to be combined with plant fibers, beechwood grains, and natural resins to form the coffee cup.
Photo Source: Design Milk
Once it takes shape from the heat and pressure, 6 cups of grounds are used in order to produce the outcome which is 40% coffee grounds and 100% biodegradable. Now, Kaffeform cup is currently being used in 20 coffee shops and 150 vendors across Europe where Julian hopes to shape coffee grounds into other products and possibly even furniture.
“The ultimate goal is just to highlight the value of recycling and waste streams back to society,” Lecher mentions.
What do you think of these cups made from coffee grounds?
