German company produces cups and glasses to go by reusing coffee grounds.
The current mayor of São Paulo, Bruno Covas, signed, in the second week of January, an Act banning the use of disposable plastic products in commercial establishments in the city, which will come into force in 2021.
With one year to adapt to the new legislation, any business that disrespects the rules can be punished with a fine of up to R$ 8k, or end up being closed by the City Hall. This is not an exclusive concern of São Paulo. Several important locations in the world are also increasingly banning plastic and looking for greener alternatives. Berlin is one of them, where the kaffeeform company emerged.
Cups and glasses to go – Kaffeeform
Cups and glasses to go
One of the most promising novelties in the sector are the coffee cups and glasses to go, made from recycled coffee grounds and other renewable raw materials, such as wood, starch, natural oils and waxes, combined with biopolymers. From there, the German company Kaffeeform produces a liquid that is shaped into the desired shape.
“Made from recycled coffees” – Kaffeeform
“It all started in Italy, the home of the espresso par excellence! When I was studying product design there, I realized that, during my study days and nights, I consumed lots of coffees. I started to think what happened to all that garbage and, mainly, with the used coffee powder. Could it be that, instead of just being thrown away, it would not be used for anything else?”, says the company’s creator and brand designer, Julian Lechner.
Upon returning to Germany, without ever having stopped thinking about it, Lechner started his experiments and, three years later, discovered a formula and founded the company in 2015. Currently, Kaffeeform has five employees and works with an NGO from Berlin, which employs people with special needs. Its responsibility is to collect coffee grounds from various commercial establishments in the city. Once ready, the cups are distributed by bike delivery personnel, always in nearby locations to reduce the carbon footprint.
Kaffeeform produces cups and glasses to go of various sizes and the plans are ambitious. “At the moment, we are exploring new possibilities of use in furniture and design in general, and we wish to go much further. Our goal is to produce an increasing range of products without using plastics”, explains the company’s communication coordinator, Anika Paulus.
The material
All products are composed of used coffee beans and other renewable plant-based resources that are hardened with biopolymers. They are lightweight, yet exceptionally durable and robust, shatterproof to a drop height of 1.5 m and can be washed in the dishwasher. They are safe for food and free of plasticizers/BP, recyclable, vegan, look like marble and have a light coffee aroma.
WEDUCER™ CUP – Kaffeeform
Kaffeeform in various sizes
The design of the Weducer cup was inspired by travel glasses, whose grooved surface resembles cardboard, reinforcing insulation and grip. All Kaffeeform products are available at www.kaffeeform.com, being marketed, so far, only between the countries of the European Economic Community.
Photo credit: Kaffeeform
