Cambond, a tenant at Allia Future Business Centre Cambridge has won a ‘Coffee Excellence Award’ for its furniture made from disposable coffee cups – the first of its kind in the world.
Part of Allia’s Cambridge cleantech cluster, Cambond are at the forefront of the sector, developing adhesive and biocomposite environmentally friendly technology for a more sustainable future.
Nominees for the award were chosen for products or services which are breaking boundaries in the food and drink industry, and Cambond were one of eight finalists from all over the world. The award recognises the innovator who has created a product that is outstanding for its quality, functionality and innovation. Cambond has created a table and chair that reuses all parts of the coffee cup including the lid and the lining, which are made into the board and worked into a piece of furniture. Each item of furniture contains around 40 – 50 disposable coffee cups.
Less than 1 per cent of coffee cups in the UK end up being recycled. Cambond’s innovative furniture eliminates the complex recycling process and reuse the cups in a most effective way: creating something new out of materials that would otherwise end up in landfill.
Dr Gareth Roberts, Business Development and IP at Cambond said “We realised that it’s important to show people the potential of the materials and what can be achieved. It’s great that our novel solution addresses the global challenge of waste reduction while creating something practical.” Gareth said the feedback has been great and a number of people have already expressed interest in buying the furniture.
The award was part of the Coffee Shop Innovation Expo 2018. Cambond are confident that their furniture will continue to make waves, and are planning to enter the NextGen Cup challenge which focuses on possible sustainable solutions to disposable cups including straws and lids, where winners will receive a grant of up to $1 million.
