The Ukrainian startup Ochis Coffee has invented sunglasses made out of coffee grounds and flax.
The eco-friendly eyewear has already become a huge success on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Over five days, the startup’s campaign collected $13,000 to produce its recyclable, coffee-scented glasses.
The idea was to create a “strong, light and environmentally friendly product,” the company said in its crowdfunding campaign.
A machine presses grounded coffee mixed with glue made from soybean oil to create a solid coffee plate. Then the company cuts out a glasses frame from the plate and polishes it.
Each frame is saturated with a special compound to make the glasses waterproof.
Their lenses protect from “blue light” emitted by mobile and computer screens, and they adapt to light conditions, darkening in the sun and brightening when it gets dark.
Still, according to the company’s website, they decompose a hundred times faster than plastic, potentially leaving no trace in the environment.
A pair of glasses cost $150, and the company produces six types of frames.
The team of four young entrepreneurs released their first prototype in May 2018, and launched the Kickstarter campaign the same year, in October. They are now aiming to get a contract with Starbucks, but before that, they need to increase their production by 10 times – as of now, the company can only produce five pairs a day.
