Waste not want not.

Every so often you come across really cool stuff. Makes you think that despite all the bad press they get, human beings are essentially a pretty creative bunch.

And especially in the field of sustainability, where innovation is essential, and thinking caps seem to be a staple part of the uniform. And where new ideas and inventions are being found every day.

Take S.Café for example, a sportswear range made from waste coffee grounds.

Jason Chen, CEO of Taiwan-based S.Café stumbled across the idea as he was taking a sip of his Starbucks coffee (there is inspiration to be found in the bottom of those gigantean mugs after all.) Rather than sending coffee grounds to landfill, Chen realized that this waste could be turned into sportswear. The stream of thought not obvious, granted, but caffeine induced lightbulb moments rarely are.

The process of making fabric out of coffee grounds turns out to be pretty similar to the one used to turn bamboo into a viscose-like material, which eco-fashionistas such as Bamboo Clothing have been doing splendidly for some time now.

But making t-shirts from coffee waste? Conjures images of lumpy-hempy-scratchy-straight-jackets that make one smell of coffee breath does it not? In fact, this innovative material transpires to be soft, light, flexible and breathable, as well as being water-resistant. It’s also UV-resistant, and binds sweat to stop odorous pits putting a dampener on your adventures. So ideal gear for rock-climbing, walking, running and yoga. And the good news is, it takes the grounds from just one cup of coffee to make enough material for several t-shirts.

S.Café are already making sports gear from recycled plastic bottles, similar to Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company that pioneered the practice in 1993. And now it seems that S.Café are testing stinging nettles for the latest innovative fabric. Nettles were used back in the day (i.e. pre-15th Century) before cotton became the norm, and produce a naturally anti-bacterial and mould-resistant linen-like material. Companies such as Dutch fashion label Brennels has started growing its own nettles in eastern Europe and has brought out a new range of clothes made from the fabric. Other examples of waste-to-wearable include yarns produced by Innova, which begin as a by-product of post-industrial waste, and the fibres used by Cocona™ that are infused with activated charcoal from coconut shells, providing moisture management, odor control, and UV protection. Pretty smart work really.

Turns out waste can be a pretty useful thing after all – and not just for the eco-fashion world. Recently corporate giant Tesco pledged to divert 100% of its UK waste away from landfill, coming up with innovative ways to reuse and recycle the 531,000 tons of waste generated each year. For example, the company are using unsold meat to generate energy via a biomass power plant run by a waste management company. The waste from the meat is incinerated, heating the boilers that drive generator turbines.

And so it is that coffee dregs, unused meat, stinging nettles and post-industrial waste all take on a new light. And in this semi-romantic glow that waste begins to emit, perhaps we will begin to realise that one man’s waste is another man’s riches.