Wearing Coffee Beans on Your Sleeves

Prompted in part by soaring prices of cotton and wool, some entrepreneurs look for substitute materials for natural fabrics. Coffee is a global beverage that fast gained popularity in the 17th century, and now a byproduct from the same plant may soon revolutionize the apparel industry. A company in Taiwan has invented a fabric based on used coffee beans, and now receives orders from major sport brands like Nike and Adidas. The S. Café fabric absorbs odors, dries quickly and guards against UV rays, reports Victoria Jen for Taiwan’s Central News Agency. “Every day, Singtex collects about 500 kilograms of coffee grounds from local coffee shops,” Jen reports. “With raw material so readily available, the company intends to expand its product line to include shoes, blankets and soaps.” – YaleGlobal