Landfill methane
Left in landfills, spent coffee grounds don't just disappear — they decompose anaerobically and release methane, a greenhouse gas up to 80 times more potent than CO₂.
The Problem
Every cup of coffee leaves a footprint.
The world drinks more than 2 billion cups of coffee every day. Behind each one is a growing stream of spent coffee grounds — discarded by hotels, cafes, restaurants, offices, and homes, and most of it is never recovered or reused.
Why It Matters
Why are spent coffee grounds harmful?
The material itself isn't toxic — the harm comes from how it is usually thrown away, and how much of it there is.
A volume problem
Cafes, hotels, and households generate huge quantities every day — globally, millions of tonnes of organic waste that must be collected, transported, and buried.
Wasted embedded resources
Growing, processing, and shipping coffee carries a real carbon and water footprint. Discarding the grounds after a single brew wastes all the energy that went into the bean.
Soil & water impact in bulk
In large, concentrated dumps — unlike garden compost — grounds can acidify soil and leach into water systems, affecting local ecosystems.
The KUNS answer
We take waste out of the cycle — and put value back in.
KUNS intercepts that waste stream and transforms it into a leather-alternative material — turning an overlooked climate problem into lasting value.