Foldable coffee cup eliminates plastic lid

Unocup offers a unique folding design that leaves a spout to drink through, eliminating the need for the lid altogether

Spotted: As consumers become more eco-conscious, many are replacing disposable coffee cups with reusable ones for their daily cuppa. But what happens when you forget your reusable cup? This is the issue that Unocup hopes to solve, with its new paper folding cup.

While most takeaway cups are made of recyclable paper, they are also burdened with a non-eco plastic lid. Unocup solves this problem by offering a unique folding design that leaves a spout to drink through, eliminating the need for the lid altogether. 

The design of the Unocup has been optimised for mass-production through existing cup-making machinery. Unocup claims the design will also allow significant cost and energy savings “in manufacturing, storage, and transportation that would otherwise be spent on plastic lids”. To add interest, Unocup is collaborating with New York artist Alexis Kandra, to create unique custom-made Unocups.

The company is currently raising interest and support through Kickstarter. Pledges start at around €11 for a pack of 20 cups, with delivery estimated for between May and July 2020. In order to really make a dent in plastic lid use, however, the cups will eventually need to be sold wholesale, in larger numbers. 

As concern over the state of the environment grows, plastic becomes less and less popular. This, however, is also being accompanied by innovative replacements. Some of these that have been covered by Springwise include straws made of pasta and aeroplane trays made from coffee grounds.