EcoBean: Brewing Innovation from Coffee Waste
EcoBean: Brewing Innovation from Coffee Waste
Trouble in Paradise Final Project
Maciej Flont
Trouble in Paradise Final Project
Maciej Flont
Each day, Europe produces over 9,000 tons of spent coffee grounds,an often ignored waste stream that typically ends up in landfills, contributing to methane emissions and squandered resources. Yet in Warsaw, a bold and innovative startup is transforming this everyday waste into a sustainable opportunity. Founded in 2018, EcoBean is a Polish cleantech company that is building the world’s first large-scale facility for the full valorization of coffee waste. Their mission is simple but powerful: to “give coffee waste a second life.”
EcoBean’s breakthrough lies in its proprietary, circular economy technology. The company processes used coffee grounds into five separate biobased compounds: coffee oil, antioxidants, lignin, polylactic acid (PLA), and protein additives. These components have valuable applications across multiple sectors—including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, bioplastics, agriculture, and animal nutrition. Impressively, EcoBean’s system utilizes 94% of the coffee waste’s material value, compared to the mere 6% typically harnessed during coffee brewing (AIM2Flourish, n.d.).
Each day, Europe produces over 9,000 tons of spent coffee grounds,an often ignored waste stream that typically ends up in landfills, contributing to methane emissions and squandered resources. Yet in Warsaw, a bold and innovative startup is transforming this everyday waste into a sustainable opportunity. Founded in 2018, EcoBean is a Polish cleantech company that is building the world’s first large-scale facility for the full valorization of coffee waste. Their mission is simple but powerful: to “give coffee waste a second life.”
EcoBean’s breakthrough lies in its proprietary, circular economy technology. The company processes used coffee grounds into five separate biobased compounds: coffee oil, antioxidants, lignin, polylactic acid (PLA), and protein additives. These components have valuable applications across multiple sectors—including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, bioplastics, agriculture, and animal nutrition. Impressively, EcoBean’s system utilizes 94% of the coffee waste’s material value, compared to the mere 6% typically harnessed during coffee brewing (AIM2Flourish, n.d.).
In recognition of its innovation, EcoBean recently received a €7 million grant from the European Funds for Modern Economy (FENG), enabling the company to build the EcoBean Technology Center (ETC). This facility, the first of its kind globally, will process up to 1,000 tons of coffee waste annually and will be powered by renewable energy. The ETC will also use digital twin technology to continuously monitor and optimize its sustainability and efficiency (EIT Food, 2024).
EcoBean’s impact goes beyond recycling. According to InnoEnergy (2024), the company’s model could prevent up to 9 million tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions per year if scaled across Europe. This has not gone unnoticed. In 2024, EcoBean was awarded the LDC Climate Resilience Prize at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards, and later that year, it earned B Corporation certification with a score of 102.1—demonstrating a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility (InnoEnergy, 2024a, 2024b).
EcoBean also partners with major coffee vendors to collect raw material directly from source. Notably, it works with AmRest, the operator of Starbucks in Central Europe. Through these partnerships, EcoBean is not only proving the scalability of its solution but is also helping other businesses reduce their ecological footprint (InnoEnergy, 2024c)
In recognition of its innovation, EcoBean recently received a €7 million grant from the European Funds for Modern Economy (FENG), enabling the company to build the EcoBean Technology Center (ETC). This facility, the first of its kind globally, will process up to 1,000 tons of coffee waste annually and will be powered by renewable energy. The ETC will also use digital twin technology to continuously monitor and optimize its sustainability and efficiency (EIT Food, 2024).
EcoBean’s impact goes beyond recycling. According to InnoEnergy (2024), the company’s model could prevent up to 9 million tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions per year if scaled across Europe. This has not gone unnoticed. In 2024, EcoBean was awarded the LDC Climate Resilience Prize at the MassChallenge Switzerland Awards, and later that year, it earned B Corporation certification with a score of 102.1—demonstrating a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility (InnoEnergy, 2024a, 2024b).
EcoBean also partners with major coffee vendors to collect raw material directly from source. Notably, it works with AmRest, the operator of Starbucks in Central Europe. Through these partnerships, EcoBean is not only proving the scalability of its solution but is also helping other businesses reduce their ecological footprint (InnoEnergy, 2024c)
What makes EcoBean stand out globally is not just its technology, but its vision. While other startups in the circular economy space focus on single outputs—like turning coffee into compost or logs, EcoBean is pioneering full-spectrum valorization of coffee waste. As of now, no other company has matched its material recovery efficiency on this scale.
EcoBean’s story shows that impactful innovation doesn’t have to come from Silicon Valley. It can come from Warsaw, from waste, from your morning espresso. And that’s a story worth sharing.
What makes EcoBean stand out globally is not just its technology, but its vision. While other startups in the circular economy space focus on single outputs—like turning coffee into compost or logs, EcoBean is pioneering full-spectrum valorization of coffee waste. As of now, no other company has matched its material recovery efficiency on this scale.
EcoBean’s story shows that impactful innovation doesn’t have to come from Silicon Valley. It can come from Warsaw, from waste, from your morning espresso. And that’s a story worth sharing.
References:
AIM2Flourish. (n.d.). Coffee is more than just a drink. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://aim2flourish.com/innovations/coffee-is-more-than-just-a-drink
EIT Food. (2024). EcoBean with nearly €7 million grant for the construction of EcoBean Technology Center. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.eitfood.eu/news/ecobean-with-nearly-7-million-grant-from-parp-for-the-construction-of-ecobean-technology-center-the-worlds-first-facility-for-full-valorization-of-coffee-waste
InnoEnergy. (2024a). EcoBean wins prestigious LDC Climate Resilience Prize 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.innoenergy.com/news-events/ecobean-wins-prestigious-ldc-climate-resilience-prize-2024/
InnoEnergy. (2024b). EcoBean joins the global community of B Corps. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.innoenergy.com/news-events/ecobean-joins-the-global-community-of-b-corps-companies-that-use-business-as-a-force-for-good/
InnoEnergy. (2024c). EcoBean secures funding to advance carbon reduction in the coffee industry. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.innoenergy.com/news-events/ecobean-secures-funding-to-advance-on-the-path-to-limit-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-global-coffee-industry/
References:
AIM2Flourish. (n.d.). Coffee is more than just a drink. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://aim2flourish.com/innovations/coffee-is-more-than-just-a-drink
EIT Food. (2024). EcoBean with nearly €7 million grant for the construction of EcoBean Technology Center. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.eitfood.eu/news/ecobean-with-nearly-7-million-grant-from-parp-for-the-construction-of-ecobean-technology-center-the-worlds-first-facility-for-full-valorization-of-coffee-waste
InnoEnergy. (2024a). EcoBean wins prestigious LDC Climate Resilience Prize 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.innoenergy.com/news-events/ecobean-wins-prestigious-ldc-climate-resilience-prize-2024/
InnoEnergy. (2024b). EcoBean joins the global community of B Corps. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.innoenergy.com/news-events/ecobean-joins-the-global-community-of-b-corps-companies-that-use-business-as-a-force-for-good/
InnoEnergy. (2024c). EcoBean secures funding to advance carbon reduction in the coffee industry. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://www.innoenergy.com/news-events/ecobean-secures-funding-to-advance-on-the-path-to-limit-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-global-coffee-industry/