We’ve looked at different ways manufacturers have beenlooking to be more eco-friendly. Some have created biodegradable housewares, others have recycled plastic for other purposes and some have made the change from plastic products to paper products. Now, a German product designer has created a way to make sustainable drinkware products out of leftover coffee grounds.
Munchies reported that for every cup of coffee, about two tablespoons of coffee grounds are wasted. Designer Julian Lechner started Kaffeeform, which makes espresso cups and saucers from dried coffee grounds. The products look like they’re made of stone. Also, they’re dishwasher friendly and sturdier than one might think dried coffee grounds would be, thanks to a biopolymer.
According to Munchies, Lechner got the idea after thinking about the vast quantities of coffee he and his classmates were drinking in college. He started talking to his design teachers about ways he could bind the coffee grounds together to create something durable enough to be a long-lasting drinkware product. He settled on a polymer made of cellulose, lignin and natural resins.
Now, Kaffeeform regularly sells out of its products on its site, and provides drinkware products to 10 shops across Europe—including the Nobel Peace Prize museum in Oslo, Norway—and the Ritz Carlton in Toronto.
According to Sprudge, the company introduced the items last May at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival, and since then, Lechner and his team have been educating coffee shops and restaurants about recycling coffee grounds.
