Instagram | @kaffeeform

Company Takes Used Coffee Grounds And Turns Them Into Biodegradable Coffee Cups

Updated August 16, 2021

German product designer Julian Lechner wanted to know what happens to coffee grounds after we've enjoyed a good ol' cup of joe. And as it turns out, the answer was just shocking enough to compel him to do something about it.

In an interview with Insider, he revealed that every cup of coffee results in two tablespoons of used grounds ending up in a landfill somewhere.

Inspired to reduce all this unnecessary waste, Lechner came up with a fascinating way to take those grounds and recycle them, turning them into something that is both useful and sustainable. Thus, the Kaffeeform coffee cups were born!

Kaffeeform cups are totally biodegradable and are made from old, used coffee grounds.

Instagram | @kaffeeform

According to the product website, the company wants to "reshape consumer habits."

Which is to say, "offer options and inspire people to integrate sustainability into their everyday lives and make conscious consumer decisions."

It took Lechner around five years to come up with the final formula that would be used to make the Kaffeeform cups.

"We tried binding [the grounds] with a lot of different things," he told VICE. "We even tried sugar. That was close, but basically it was a candy cup. It just kept dissolving after being used three times."

Ultimately, they settled on the perfect formula: coffee grounds blended with wood grains and a biopolymer of cellulose, lignin, and natural resins.

Crow Cycle Couriers gather used coffee grounds from local cafes for the Berlin-based company and typically round up around 110 pounds a day.

Instagram | @kaffeeform

Those grounds are then sorted, cleaned, and blended with the perfected formula. After some heating and shaping, you've got durable, 100% biodegradable material that can be turned into just about anything you want.

For Kaffeeform, that means disposable coffee cups and even reusable dishware.

That's right, this company also makes tea cups, mugs, and saucers out of coffee grounds.

Instagram | @kaffeeform

Resembling dark stoneware, these beverage holders are lightweight, soft, and even dishwasher safe. And, according to Lechner, they even smell like coffee!

Lechner doesn't want to just stop at cups, though. He says he hopes to one day use his coffee ground formula to create lifestyle products and even furniture.

You can order your very own biodegradable cups on the Kaffeeform website.

h/t: Insider, VICE

Filed Under:

News