Seoul Design Award 2026: Lavazza Tablì Wins Third Place

Sustainability flourishes in simplicity, and caring for the planet becomes effortless when convenient functional alternatives replace polluting options. Lavazza kept this core reality in mind when creating Tablì, a capsule-free single-serve coffee system that earned third place in the designboom Special Prize at the Seoul Design Award 2026.

Until now, coffee drinkers typically faced three choices: preparing a pot from scratch, using instant coffee, or turning to a capsule machine. While the third option gained widespread popularity for its sheer convenience, it conceals a hidden environmental downside that many consumers overlook.

According to figures from Deutsche Umwelthilfe cited by Lavazza, around 20 billion coffee capsules are used and discarded annually worldwide. Germany alone consumes approximately 3.4 billion units, generating about 13,500 metric tons of waste each year. Hailing from Italy where coffee represents both tradition and rule, a multidisciplinary team led by Florian Seidl along with Angelica Rella, Marco Rotundo, and Nicola Bettoni deeply understood this challenge.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The team challenged conventional preparation methods by asking if another way existed. Tablì emerged from their ambition to replicate capsule convenience while minimizing environmental impact. Their vision extended beyond merely swapping packaging; they engineered an entire system centered on a tab made entirely of coffee containing zero plastic, aluminum, additives, or coatings, accompanied by a compatible machine, packaging, accessories, and a connectivity ecosystem.