Seedko, Seedling pot

Where growth begins.

Project Details

Category: Sustainable design
Discipline: Sustainable design, material development, gardening
Team: Group project with Maša Kralj

A biodegradable seedling pot made from used coffee grounds and other secondary raw materials. It breaks down in the soil to feed the growing plant.

60 million

tons of coffee grounds are thrown away worldwide every year

Context

Coffee residue is at the heart of Seedko.

Annually, 60 million tons of coffee grounds are thrown away worldwide, even though they are still full of nutrients after making a cup of coffee.

Seedko is a sustainable, biodegradable seedling pot made from secondary raw materials that contribute to more efficient seedling growth.

Illustration: a hand holds a cup of black coffee, seen from above, on a white-to-green gradient with the Seedko leaf mark

Illustrated cycle around a handful of coffee beans: ground coffee, a cup of coffee, a collection bin, grounds under sun and water, a cooking pot, a tray of pots, seedlings in a Seedko pot and a grown tomato plant — The life cycle of a Seedko pot, from a cup of coffee back to a growing plant.

Material

Only secondary materials.

Besides coffee grounds, Seedko is made from eggshells, straw, cellulose and corn starch packing flakes, with a bit of water to disintegrate the starch flakes.

Seedko is environmentally safe, since only secondary materials are used to produce it. It also reduces other waste, which re-enters the life cycle in a different form and is utilised completely.

Seedko pieces on an off-white background: a flat round disc, a round pot, a broken pot wall and a square pot broken open, showing the coarse, fibrous texture of the material — Development of the form.

Close-up of a white table: a small pile of coffee grounds, chopped straw and a few dark crumbs scattered around it — Coffee grounds and straw.

Less plastic

A sustainable alternative to traditional single-use plastic seedling pots.

Local waste

The waste is collected from the local environment, which reduces the carbon footprint of transport.

Low energy

The whole manufacturing process doesn’t require high heat or energy consumption.

In use

A pot that feeds the plant.

Once planted, Seedko slowly disintegrates and acts as an organic fertiliser for the plant. Each component of the pot is proven to help the seedling get the nutrients it needs.

A spinach plant in a glass jar, its roots visible through the soil, with two stacked Seedko pots beside it and a third in front, chopped straw scattered on the white table — Spinach growing from Seedko pots.

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