GaeaStar’s 3D-Printed Clay Coffee Cups Are Disposable, but Can They Save Us From Microplastics?

It's like seeing fingerprints on a handmade ceramic mug. The tool mark tells the story of its manufacture, and although the tools used here are new, the process remains the same. You remove the wet clay from the soil, dry it, grind it into powder, then add water again until it reaches the desired consistency. Then you shape, glaze and fire it.

There are more than 3 million potters in India who make wares like the kulhar and bhar that inspired GaeaStar's cup, continuing a local tradition that dates back thousands of years. Paper cups and plastic cups are available threaten livelihoods of these potters, but there have been efforts at the local and state level to encourage the use of traditional clay wares over cheaper, more environmentally problematic alternatives.

Sourcing clay

In Seattle, I saw public trash cans filled with paper cups and felt guilty every time there was one on my desk. But are GaeaStar's clay cups better for the environment than disposable paper cups? Mankotia says yes, but the reality is more complicated.

Clay mining in the US is often synonymous with open pit mining. as well as environmental disasters as it sounds. Open pit mines cause permanent damage to ecosystems by their very nature. Removing vegetation, topsoil, and layer upon layer of soil to get at the minerals underneath releases harmful particulate matter into the air, as well as toxic metals and other runoff into the system. nearby water system. Open pit mines are responsible for sinkholes, erosion, environmental and habitat loss worldwide.

So clay, even locally sourced, is not a sustainable solution to ending the use of paper and plastic in disposable cups. However, it's a trade-off we're all quite familiar with—the kind of thing we consider when deciding whether to order something from Amazon or buy it at a store in our community.

When it comes to plastic-lined paper cups, every step in their life cycle matters—from the extraction of wood and petroleum raw materials to production, transportation, and disposal. All cause irreparable harm that lasts for generations. With GaeaStar's clay cups, the biggest problem is the industrial process that produces the raw materials. It's not a perfect solution. Choosing the lesser of two evils is always a devil's bargain, but sometimes it's the best we can do.