Circular Innovations with Spent Coffee Grounds | Session 3 | 2025

This webinar is part of the Global Webinar Series organized by International Trade Centre (ITC), International Coffee Organization (ICO), and the Center for Circular Economy in Coffee (C4CEC) a global precompetitive platform for enhancing and nurturing the circular economy principles and practices within the coffee sector. The webinar series explores the transformative potential of a circular economy in coffee, building from the joint International Coffee Organization (ICO) Coffee Development Report entitled “Beyond Coffee: Toward a Coffee Circular Economy.”

This webinar presents findings from the upcoming white paper from the Center for Circular Economy in Coffee on Spent Coffee Grounds.

This session explores:
● Innovative uses of spent coffee grounds across sectors like cosmetics, packaging, and agriculture, with insights from entrepreneurs leading the change.
● Market trends and consumer awareness around upcycled coffee products, including strategies for messaging and demand creation.
● Challenges and opportunities for upcycling spent coffee grounds at scale.
● Practical steps for engagement, including how coffee businesses and other coffee stakeholders can collaborate with innovators or launch their own circular economy initiatives.

Moderator: Mariamawit Solomon, Operations and Project Development Consultant, Center for Circular Economy in Coffee (C4CEC)

Opening remarks: Dr. Hans Jurgen Langenbahn, Founder, The Zero Waste Coffee Project and Head Roaster, Happy Goat Coffee

Panelists:
● Quinn Cavanagh, Founder, RFINE Biomass Solutions, Canada
● Laura Gallo, CEO and Co-founder, Coffeefrom, Italy
● David Lenny Waweru, Founder and CEO, Ruwawa Farm, Kenya
● Alejandro Franco, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Kaffe Bueno, Denmark