Did you know your coffee waste can be turned into an important car part? There’s a fact so mind-blowing that it’s impossible to comprehend at first. But guess what? McDonald’s US and Ford are partnering up and doing just that. Research scientists in charge of producing sustainable materials at Ford are now manufacturing headlights using McDonald’s coffee chaff.
How does it work?
The coffee chaff (the skin of the coffee bean) that comes off during the roasting process is mixed with plastic and other additives and heated to form pellets which can be used as a headlight housing.
What can we say? Coffee can not only light up your mood, but it can also light up your way, and quite literally.
It’s sustainable
The new material is considered to be more sustainable for many reasons. Firstly, using waste material in itself is a sustainable practice. And according to the research team at Ford, the coffee chaff has significantly better heat properties than its predecessor. This means that it can better withstand high temperatures, which is an ideal quality for materials used for headlight housing or car battery covers. The coffee chaff is also lighter and more energy-efficient to produce.
Over the years, McDonald’s has made huge efforts as a commitment to remain environmentally friendly. The use of coffee chaff to make headlights is just one of the contributions that McDonald’s is making to reduce the impacts of plastic pollution and carbon emissions.
To know more, watch the video here.
