Coffee Sleeve Is Reusable
- Published: August 03, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO, CA | Sustainable Brands reports invention company Design by Freedom has created a zero-waste alternative to the traditional coffee sleeve in an effort to keep millions of sleeves from being disposed of improperly every day. Design by Freedom has developed the Freedom Sleeve, a reusable and 100% compostable coffee sleeve made from bio-based materials.
Founder Anukampa Freedom Gupta-Fonner, says, “[We’re] trying to push forward, to propel the idea that zero waste is fun, zero waste is possible, and zero waste is not as inconvenient as you might think.”
While Gupta-Fonner admits that the widespread adoption of reusable coffee mugs would be ideal, many consumers see carrying around a cup as a hassle. The Freedom Sleeve allows consumers to feel like they’re part of the solution without the inconvenience and has real potential to initiate systemic change by altering consumer behavior.
“Our market is an individual who loves coffee, but is not yet ready to carry a coffee cup,” Gupta-Fonner said. “That’s the person we’re targeting with the sleeve and offering them a really mobile, impossible-to-forget solution that they can always keep with them. The intention here is to push this customer type to the next level, which is to carry their own coffee cup.”
The sleeve is usable for over a year and features a bag tag that makes it easy to tote around. It also fits around cups of all sizes, so consumers don’t have to think twice about skipping the standard cardboard sleeve.
The cardboard sleeve industry is a $500 million industry in the US and it continues to grow. When developing the Freedom Sleeve, Design by Freedom looked at how much traditional sleeves cost coffee retail brands and found that on average, brands spend about $25 per customer per year on cardboard sleeves. The cost of the Freedom Sleeve is comparable, making it a viable option for sustainability-focused companies that are looking for new ways to reduce impacts.
