Born out of an effort to make sure used coffee grounds do not go to waste, Alex White and his father-in-law John Mohr founded the eco-friendly venture 'Coffee Printed.' But instead of using the grounds as fertilizer or beauty products, the duo came up with a way to turn spent coffee into dyes for screen printing.
Coffee Printed is an e-commerce site that sells coffee-themed T-shirts made with coffee-based dyes. The coffee grounds are collected from local coffee shops and roasters and then brewed in a vinegar based solution. This process creates a thickened mixture that is similar to water-based screen-printing ink. The repurposed coffee ink is then used to dye shirts with humorous coffee-based designs such as a stylized French press or a mug decorated with the word 'LOVE.'
The unique venture demonstrates just one of the ways that businesses are using waste materials such as coffee grounds and giving them new life.
Coffee-Dyed T-Shirts
'Coffee Printed' Uses Spent Coffee Grounds to Dye Graphic Tees
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Fashion - Coffee Printed's innovative use of spent coffee grounds as dyes for their t-shirts showcases the potential to reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion through upcycling waste materials.
2. Circular Economy - The repurposing of coffee grounds into dyes for T-shirts highlights a trend towards circular economy where waste materials are given a second life and help to create a closed loop system.
3. Alternative Textile Dyeing - Coffee Printed's use of coffee-based dye as an alternative to traditional textile dyeing processes demonstrates an opportunity for innovation in the textile industry to find new natural and sustainable dyeing methods.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion/apparel - The fashion and apparel industry has an opportunity to think more sustainably and incorporate upcycled waste materials into clothing production, such as using Coffee Printed's coffee-dyeing process.
2. Hospitality - Hospitality businesses, particularly coffee shops and cafes, could repurpose their coffee grounds into products such as dyes or fertilizer to reduce their waste output, such as partnering with Coffee Printed for a closed loop system.
3. Textile Manufacturing - The textile manufacturing industry has an opportunity to move towards more sustainable and environmentally-friendly textile dyeing processes, such as incorporating Coffee Printed's coffee-based dye into their production