Grace of Waste

Upcycling, now!

From coffee grounds to a thoroughly sustainable gift

Everyone in our agency needs their coffee in the morning. And not just in the morning. All that consumption produces coffee grounds that are usually thrown away. But coffee grounds shouldn't be considered waste, as they contain too many valuable properties. Coffee grounds are odor-neutralizing, a great plant fertilizer, a natural colorant and above all they are outstanding for use in the field of cosmetics. Because coffee grounds promote blood circulation, cell renewal and regeneration.

It was clear to us to we needed to stop throwing away this valuable resource! Instead, we developed a Christmas gift made comprising three high-quality soaps for our customers and business partners. Packaged in cardboard made from recycled coffee cups, we hope this gift will demonstrate the potential for designers and brands to create sustainable and stylish products and packaging, all at the same time.

Awards:

ADC Germany 2019, Sustainable Design – Silver
Berliner Type Award 2019, B2B Direct Mailing – Silver
Red Dot Award Communication Design 2019 – Packaging and Sustainability
iF DESIGN AWARD 2020
Promotional Gift Award 2020 – Best Practice

GRACE OF WASTE

The project was born in autumn 2018 from a simple thought about the coffee machine: the coffee grounds collected there every day end up in the garbage - even though it is a natural product with valuable properties. Out of this idea we created a set of soaps out of coffee grounds. Packaged as a gift for business partners, it not only illustrates our high design standards, but also inspires reflection.

Sustainable through and through: Our concept

The soap set should be more than just a high-quality Christmas present; it should also spark a discussion about what sustainable design can look like. From the soap, to the packaging, to the paint and ink, we placed a high priority on sustainable production at every stage.

Three fragrance concepts

After an exhausting day, it's not only the coffee that unfolds its beneficial effect. We added organic essential oilsfor even more care and protection. Pine oil and bergamot inhibit minor inflammations. Grapefruit oil and lemon oil refresh the skin. Lavender and mandarine have a soothing, relaxing effect.

Less ink

Is less ink beneficial for the environment? It sure is! We developed a special outlined typography that ensures that we need about twenty percent less printing ink.

Less paint

Embossing and paper laser cutting instead of lacquers and hot foil. We do without environmentally harmful finishes and use only a minimum of color.

100 % recycling

Coffee cups made of cardboard are thrown away everywhere. We took advantage of this fact and had the packaging material for our soaps made from 100% recycled coffee cup paper.

100 % teamwork

Together with our in-house production team, we explored all possibilities for sustainable packaging production – combining style with sustainability.

“Grace of Waste shows that a consistently sustainable approach does not have to mean a reduction in aesthetics. It is a first step that we hope will also inspire our customers.”
Heidrun Angerer,
Executive Creative Director, Peter Schmidt Group

"Sustainability counts. And it is well received. Especially if you try new approaches to recycle waste (...). In use with an agancy mailing campaign, this makes an inspiring statement. Especially when it looks fantastic and smells wonderful – not at all like garbage."
Jury statement,
Art Directors Club Germany, 2019

Heidrun Angerer
Executive Creative Director
Tel +49-40-441804-0
Heidrun.Angerer@peter-schmidt-group.de