Arts Thread

ReRoasted is a research through design project, developing new ways of working with spent coffee grounds in Ceramics. The projects current iteration is a collection of laminated coffee cups, which sandwich a layer of coffee clay between two layers of standard clay. The cups are lightweight, have insulative properties, use less extractive material, and require less energy in the firing process. The lamination ensures the cups can benefit from the properties of coffee clay while remaining durable and functional. I have designed and manufactured the first batch of prototype ReRoasted cups at Central Saint Martins in Kings Cross working with spent coffee grounds sourced from Origin Coffee at the British Library. Taking an active approach in the sourcing of this material has lead to ongoing conversations with both organisations surrounding the issue of coffee waste. Every year the UK produces 250,000 tonnes of spent coffee grounds. If these reach landfill, they break down generating methane, a gas with global warming potential 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. According to Bio-Bean a coffee ground recycler in the UK, burning their wood fuel alternative - coffee logs - lowers greenhouse gas emissions by 130%. The ReRoasted coffee cups are fired to over 1200 degrees, burning the coffee grounds out of the clay body, leaving small voids in their place. Having worked part time in the specialty coffee industry alongside my studies, I’ve experienced the care taken at every step in the coffee value chain to ensure a high quality and equitable product - but there is nothing specialty about coffee waste. Working on a local level, ReRoasted adds another link in the coffee value chain, and in effect ties it back together. It promotes undervalued waste materials as an opportunity rather than a burden, accompanied by a rethinking of how and why we make.