Insole material gives coffee grounds a second life
Performance foam manufacturer Dahsheng Chemical has launched a new product called Dreamcell Xpresso.
It describes the new product as “an innovative foam technology” made with spent coffee grounds. The insole material that results from this will deliver what Dahsheng has called “a superior footwear product, designed to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions”.
Dreamcell Xpresso uses polyurethane open-cell foam, but with 20% spent coffee grounds in the material mix, decreasing the consumption of fossil fuels and of energy in the production process. The coffee grounds also give Dreamcell Xpresso odour-controlling and moisture management functionality.
According to the Taiwan-based company’s calculations, more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day around the world. When the spent coffee grounds are sent to landfill, they can produce methane, which causes a greenhouse gas effect.
Dreamcell Xpresso will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping coffee grounds out of landfill and giving them a second life as a premium footwear product, Dahsheng said.
It has calculated that for every 1 million pairs of Dreamcell Xpresso insoles produced, it will recycle almost 2.2 tonnes of spent coffee grounds, preventing the creation of 0.5 tonnes of methane emissions in landfill.
Chief executive, Johnson Chang, said: “With Dreamcell Xpresso, we can support a circular economy that benefits both manufacturers and consumers without compromising on comfort or performance.”
