Case Study Essay –Kaffeeform and regenerative mindset

Born from the question “What happens to all the coffee grounds after we have enjoyed our
Espresso, Cappucino or
Americano?”1;
Kaffeeform is a
company which looks at
creating a product from
used coffee grounds.
Established in 2015, by
product designer Julian
Lechner whilst he was Figure 1 Kaffeeform test piece and espresso cup with saucer
studying and consuming
large quantities of
coffee in Italy.

Now based in Berlin, Kaffeeform collects coffee grounds from a series of local coffee shops,
dries them out and are then able to combine the material with wood particles and natural
glues. The new material created is then used to make re-useable coffee cups. The
innovation of Lechner allows him to make use of something that would usually be classed as
waste and thrown away; coffee takes a large amount of energy to be grown, transported
and then made into the drink, so why should we just discard the grounds without a second
thought?

The work being carried out by Kaffeeform, is

being done with elements of a regenerative
mindset. Looking at the actions that we carry
out, and how we can change those in order to
reduce our impact on the planet.

The map on the left shows how we can move

Figure 2 Degenerative to regenerative development map –
Bill Reed and Regenesis
from conventional, whereby we are merely
meeting the minimum standards set out by
society for environmental and social
protection, to green, restorative and more
importantly regenerative development.

“Regenerative practices focus on cultivating co-evolutionary relationships between people

and place. Between local communities and the community of life we share this planet
with”2.

By taking what is currently viewed as a bi-product of coffee, re-thinking, re-designing and

re-purposing it into something else, Kaffeeform is reducing its own impact on the planet

1
KAFFEEFORM. ‘Mission’. [Online] https://www.kaffeeform.com/en/mission/ [21st October 2018]
2
Buchanan, A. ‘Becoming regenerative inside and out’. [Online] https://medium.com/benefit-
mindset/becoming-regenerative-inside-and-out-f7ef5eecba6c [21st October 2018]
whilst also improving relationships within the community by using materials from other
local coffee shops. Although their work is currently relatively small scale, it has potential to
be carried out on a larger scale. However, the current trend of coffee consumption
worldwide would lead me to think that it will soon reach a point where the production of
the Kaffeeform coffee cups will greatly exceed the desired amount. There will be far too
many coffee cups for them to be useful any more. Therefore, could we re-think again our
usage of the material? Could we use the material to create a product which is not directly
linked to its origin (coffee)?, for example using it to make alternatives to plastic surfaces e.g
low cost kitchen worktops.

“To do things differently, we need to see things differently – and that applies to
sustainability above all.”3. Kaffeeform have quite successfully taken this into consideration
and put into place a small-scale business model whereby they are making use of a material
which would otherwise be going to waste. At the moment, Kaffeeform are acting in quite a
sustainable manner. However if they were looking to continue working with their material, I
believe that it would be beneficial to look at other possible uses for it.

3
Thackara, J. ‘Profile’. [Online] http://thackara.com/working-with-john-thackara/ [21st October 2018]