GaeaStar, a San Francisco and Germany-based startup, plans to introduce its 3D-printed disposable clay cups to coffee shops in the United States following a successful trial period in Berlin, CNET tells us in a report.
The company, founded in 2020, aims to eliminate the negative impact of single-use products by developing technology that uses geo-neutral materials to create truly sustainable single-use products for businesses and customers.
The terracotta cups come in three different sizes. Excellent with ice cream, fruit, salads, and tapas.
Making Cups from Dirt, Salt, and Water
The cups are made with only three ingredients: dirt, salt, and a little water. Sanjeev Mankotia, the company's founder and CEO, had the idea while visiting family in India and saw his cousin drinking chai from a terracotta cup she bought from a street vendor.
After drinking, she smashed the cup on the ground, prompting Mankotia to think about the environmental impact of disposable cups made of paper, plastic, or compostable materials.
A Brilliant Alternative for Disposable Coffee Cups
A 2016 study found that the United States uses up to 50 billion disposable coffee cups yearly. Even if they are recycled or composted, most of these cups end up in landfills.
GaeaStar's 3D-printed cups are made of only dirt, salt, and water, so they can be safely discarded in landfills or smashed to dust on the ground.
10 Times Stronger than Paper Cups
In an interview with CNET, the GaeaStar CEO Mankotia claims that it can print a ceramic cup for about the same price using 60% less energy than it takes to create a plastic or paper cup.
The cups are also said to be ten times stronger than paper cups, and the company expects a better customer experience. "I call this the fine china experience with the convenience of disposability," Mankotia explained.
GaeaStar's long-term goal is to install patent-pending 3D printers in stores across the United States, where cups could be printed on demand in about 10 seconds. Meanwhile, the cups will be available this year in select Verve Coffee locations throughout California.
Saving the Planet One Clay Cup at a Time
The cups are part of GaeaStar's larger effort to create sustainable single-use products. The company's vision is to significantly reduce waste and pollution while improving user experience and lowering actual costs.
The GaeaStar team comprises engineers, scientists, designers, finance professionals, and support staff from all over the world, all with the same goal in mind: to solve a human problem that could affect generations of living beings.
While it may appear strange to use dirt to make a cup, GaeaStar's cups are an example of how technology can be used to address environmental issues.
Because of the large number of disposable cups used each year, solutions such as GaeaStar's cups are required to reduce waste and pollution.
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