Sitting on coffee, drinking coffee

Re-worked is an industrial design company set up by Adam Fairweather.  Over the past few years he has been developing systems and added value applications for recycled coffee waste.  Re-worked is about to launch its first “functional surfacing product” made from recycled coffee waste.

Whilst exploring the concept of material and product language, Adam began looking at ways that industrial design can have a positive social impact.  He began research into ways to add new high perceptual value to non-recycled waste.  After many experiments with all kinds of materials and whilst sitting down for a coffee break he had the eureka moment. However, as many already know, a eureka moment is not enough.  Good ideas need many skills coming together to support the development.  In this case, the Materials KTN design group called on the technical expertise of our Jan Czerski.  How can a designer with a modest knowledge of plastics processing sort out a Ristretto rotomoulding from a Mocha moulding or a Latte laminate?  Jan, through the Industrial Affiliate Scheme of the Institute of Materials (IOM3), brought in university technical support and a private company with expertise in recycled plastics.  Together Axion Polymers, Bradford Uni and Jan enabled Adam to fulfil his eureka moment and make a product that works.

Coffee is highly regarded in contemporary culture but what is not so widely known is that it is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil.  Every month the UK imports 14,000 tons of it. The waste produced from this industry is considerable and often in a pure form, it can be separated easily for recycling.  Re-worked has been working with Greencup, a coffee retail company based in London and the southeast.  Greencup offers an integrated service of product supply and waste collection.  Greencup now also sells a fertilizer product in selected garden centres nationwide. The coffee is then mixed with post consumer recycled plastic waste like kettles and refrigerators.  Çurface (pronounced Surface) is the name used for this innovative hard surfacing product made from recycled coffee collected from offices, cafes and factories in the UK. The Çurface materials is made into products like tables and chairs;  made with waste coffee this innovative material  takes the cappuccino experience to a whole new level thanks to a unique recycled plastic sheet product developed by Axion Polymers for Re-worked.   And, yes, it does retain a faint coffee aroma.

Re-worked commercially launched the ‘tactile’ material - described as a cross between dark leather and wood – recently at Ecobuild, the UK’s largest green design and building exhibition in London.  Its debut attracted considerable interest.

Re-worked Director Adam Fairweather hopes his idea will catch on, particularly with catering establishments for which it has particular relevance. Steve Bell, Senior Product Development Supervisor at Axion Polymers, says this success opens up possibilities for other ‘smelly’ applications in recycled plastics. "We have the capability to do clever things with recycled materials and we’re not aware of anyone else using coffee in this way,” he adds. “It certainly gives the polymer a different appeal….and we were smelling coffee in the factory for two days afterwards."