Finding the balance between perfection and sustainability is always a challenge when working with natural materials like ceramics. In a world that demands flawless products, fewer blemishes and less variation often mean more waste. But at Acme, we see imperfection as an opportunity—and over the years, that mindset has led us to coffee festivals around the world.
Acme Turning Imperfection into Impact
Since 2019, we’ve been helping festivals across Europe and Aotearoa cut down on single-use waste by supplying our Acme B Range cups. These cups may have minor imperfections that don’t meet our exacting standards, but they’re still perfectly functional. Rather than discarding them, we make them available at events for visitors to borrow, return, and reuse—again and again (and again!).
One festival putting our B Range to good use is Nordic Coffee Fest. As the official sustainability partner for the second year running, we’re thrilled to see our cups play a role in eliminating thousands of single-use cups. At this event alone, repurposing these imperfect cups will prevent around 4,000 cups from becoming unnecessary waste.
Beyond Nordic Coffee Fest, we’ve been working with the Danish Coffee Festival, NZ Specialty Coffee Association, and The Barista League for over five years, gifting cups to support their sustainability efforts. As these festivals grow, we continue to find meaningful ways to reduce waste and support responsible event practices.
What started as an accident—cups that didn’t turn out quite as planned—has become a real solution for both people and the planet. Seeing them get a second life at some of the best coffee events in the world? That’s a win.
