Architect Jun Aizaki grew a fruit into a mould with the form of a cup and it worked. This is a bioplastics milestone.
The biodegradable coffee cup was made with a gourd and a 3D-printed mould. A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without.
Architect Jun Aizaki, founder of Brooklyn-based design firm CRÈME was looking for a sustainable solution to replace single use plastic cups. He tested with rice paper but settled with gourds.
Aizaki said:
“I kept thinking about biodegradable materials. Gourds have been used as vessels in Asia and South America for centuries. “Each piece is different, almost like a collector’s item.”
The method is still being refined; currently, only about half of each harvest can produce viable containers because many gourds either rot during the drying process or won’t grow properly in the moulds.
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