Biodegradable coffee cups are being ‘grown’ from fruit by an innovative design company in a bid to cut down on plastic waste.<\/p>\n
The reusable cups are made from gourds, a fruit in the pumpkin family, which are grown inside 3D printed moulds to make them the perfect coffee-cup shape when picked.<\/p>\n
The fast-growing squashes were used by our ancestors as drinking containers, and thanks to their waxy outer shell, can be dried out and used to hold liquids.<\/p>\n
The architecture and design company, Creme, now grow cup and flask-shaped gourds at a farm near New York, USA, but started out by testing the moulds in their studio in Brooklyn, New York.<\/p>\n
The Telegraph understands that the cups are in the design phase and not currently for sale, but company has had inquiries from companies in the UK and around the world.<\/p>\n
Tania Kaufmann, the company’s business manager, said: “The inspiration actually came from how the Japanese grow their watermelons.<\/p>\n
“They are grown in moulds into a square shape so they are easily transported and stackable, so we thought we might be able to grow gourds similarly using moulds in the shape of cups and flasks.<\/p>\n
“Creme identified gourds as a fast-growing plant which bears robust fruits each season, developing a strong outer skin, and fibrous inner flesh.\u00a0 Once dried, gourds have historically been used by our ancestors as receptacles like cups.<\/p>\n
“Creme explored this centuries-old craft, using 3D moulds to grow them into functional shapes, such as cups and flasks to create sustainable, renewable, and compostable products without waste.”<\/p>\n
The Gourd coffee cups Credit: Creme\/Solent News & Photo Agency\/Solent News & Photo Agency
\nIn 2011 it was estimated that 2.5 billion coffee cups are thrown away each year, but that number is likely to be higher now.<\/p>\n
It is not easy for consumers to recycle their takeaway coffee cups due to the mixture of paper and plastic used in their inner lining, which makes the cup heatproof and leakproof.<\/p>\n
It is thought therefore that the vast majority of cups, more than 99.75 per cent, do not get recycled.\u00a0 In 2017, a study found that just one in 400 coffee cups are recycled, even if it is thrown into a recycling bin.<\/p>\n
There has been a move towards using resuable coffee mugs, which can save consumers money as several outlets have instigated their own incentives.\u00a0 Pret, for example, will charge you 50p less if you bring a reusable cup.<\/p>\n
Last year, the Government began to mull the prospect of a ‘latte levy’, a 25 tax on disposable coffee cups and in December the Environment Department announced that ministers were set to consult to expand a deposit return scheme for bottles and cans to include disposable coffee cups.<\/p>\n
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said at the time: “Some may argue that these steps put the interests of the environment ahead of economic factors. They couldn’t be more wrong.<\/p>\n
“You can’t have a healthy economy without a sustainable environment to provide the resources we all need. Using resources more wisely improves productivity.<\/p>\n
The gourd cups have been designed by Creme Design, a collaboration of international designers and creatives, owned by award-winning architect Jun Aizaki.<\/p>\n
They take around six weeks to grow, and can hold up to 443ml of water – just short of the 473ml in a medium, or ‘grande’ sized Starbucks coffee cup.<\/p>\n
Ms Kaufmann added: “The company is focusing on creating a sustainable alternative to the single-use plastic cup.\u00a0 This cup of the future is a completely organic and biodegradable vessel carved from a gourd that can replace the single-use plastic cup.<\/p>\n
“Ideally, the entire world will benefit from our product. Single-use plastic cups are not biodegradable and cause a massive amount of waste.<\/p>\n
“Most of the ‘biodegradable’ cups on the market are lined with a chemical to ensure they do not leak, but the chemical is not compostable, therefore the cups are not fully biodegradable.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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