As global demand for coffee consumption continues to rise, Berlin based Kaffeeform have developed an innovative use for waste coffee grounds. After a substantial amount of research and development, a mix of used coffee grounds and renewable raw materials has been perfected to create a sustainable alternative to petrochemical based plastics. Having overcome the main challenge of making the cups washable and hard wearing enough to be reusable, Kaffeeform presents a genuine zero-waste alternative for the ethically minded consumer.

To demonstrate the potential of the new material, Kaffeeform’s first line of products are coffee cups themselves. The novel material has a number of notable characteristics, the finished surface resembling the appearance of dark marblewood grained with patterns unique to each piece. Even the smell of coffee is retained in the finished cups. A limited production run of 250 cups will be available to the public at the Kaffeeform stand at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival.

People are embracing conscious consumption and upcycling is perhaps the ultimate way to salvage even the most obscure waste. We've seen designers turn junk mail into bowls, denim into tables and sawdust into pencils. Perhaps coffee into cups isn't that outrageous.