Plastic can easily be seen as a strong contender for the most blatant and obnoxious source of waste and hazard to our environment and wildlife. Despite this, plastic is still a common mainstay in our society because of its multifaceted practicality. According to the UN, today we produce about 300 million metric tons of plastic waste every year. Researchers estimate that more than 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced since the early 1950s. About 60% of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment. Plastic lids produce an estimate of over 20,000 tons of waste each year.

Unocup is actively facing the battle against plastic in the form of a small foldable paper cup and does away with the lid. Unocups origami-like design enables the cup to serve dual functions as a cup and lid. In addition, the lifecycle of the Unocup from production to waste is fully sustainable. Please read further to learn about Unocup from our exclusive interview with its founders: Tom Chan and Kaanur Papo.

Where are you based?
New York City

What is a Unocup?
Unocup is a no-lid paper coffee cup that replaces plastic lids through its foldable top, thereby eliminating plastic waste that litters our Earth and goes into the ocean.

When did Unocup first launch? What made you decide to create this cup?
Unocup’s Kickstarter launched in November 2019. We started working on this idea in 2015 because we want to reduce environmental pollution in the world. The chance to design a to-go cup that is both practically and environmentally better than plastic lids excited us both from a design standpoint and as a matter of creating a cleaner planet. As of now, there has been no clear alternative to plastic lids. When it comes to sustainability, the disposable market has been largely unaddressed regarding large scale solutions. We feel that Unocup offers such a solution, in that it is simple, practical, and appealing.

Where does the name Unocup come from?
We wanted to come up with a name that was simple and memorable, and reflected the product’s concept. ‘Unocup’ signifies the ‘all in one’ nature of the no-lid foldable paper cup design.

The obvious standout and genius feature of Unocup is it's foldable design. What sparked the inspiration behind it? Can you tell us a little bit about what this design offers?
The cup was inspired by the plastic waste Tom continuously encountered while buying bottles of beverages from a Japanese supermarket. We wanted to create a drinking container that was less wasteful, since coffee is an extremely popular and common drink around the world, and especially in the U.S.

We have the first foldable cup design that’s environmental, user friendly, sleek and cost effective. We believe what separates us from other solutions is the ease of implementation of Unocup within the food industry and within customer experience. We were able to arrive at the final product after 800 prototypes and countless iterations, as well as continuously consulting with coffee drinkers and industry experts.

Unocup is easy to fold, more comfortable to hold and drink from than a regular cup, and can fold backwards to mimic a traditional cup so that customers can drink from the rim and easily add in milk or sugar. Baristas have expressed that it feels easier to craft latte art with Unocup due to its unique shape.

The effects of plastic pollution are an extreme detriment to our planet and our health. Can you talk us through the benefits of switching to Unocup vs. the traditional coffee cup?
Lids take over a million years to decompose. Our first goal is to replace plastic lids, and then begin incorporating compostable and recyclable alternatives to the traditional cup paper as well.

Unocup requires minimal retooling to existing machines and could save on costs, energy and therefore CO2 emissions, material, labor, storage, and transportation. Its ease of folding and stackability allows for Unocup to be easily adopted by businesses, and in many ways is even easier in that there is no need to worry about using or storing lids. Customers do not need to look or fiddle around for a top, allowing the entire coffee on the go process to be more streamlined.

How are the major coffee chains responding to the Unocup? We have received a lot of inquiries from both large and small chains who are interested in using Unocup and are excited about its potential environmental impact. We are happy to see that there is excitement regarding the vision from both customers and businesses alike.

It is estimated that 8.25 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year and plastic lids account for 20,000 tons of waste each year. How big of a difference would it make if all the major coffee chains switched to the Unocup?
It is difficult to have an exact number, but one thing that is certain is it would be a major change. All one has to do is walk along any NYC street block and find multiple plastic lids littering the ground. Estimates show that 25 billion coffee cups are thrown away yearly in the USA. Assuming each cup comes with a lid, we would be saving approximately 25 billion plastic lids per year. A lid weighs 3 grams on average, so that would come to 75 million kilograms of plastic per year in the U.S. alone.

What would you like to see other corporations do to introduce or increase their efforts towards sustainability?
Find ways to incorporate sustainable solutions into their business model. These solutions can even enhance what a business offers. It’s just a matter of taking the time and being creative. Large corporations are the ones that have the biggest sway on the environmental changes and impacts of modern society.

What are some immediate changes people should incorporate into their routines to reduce their carbon footprint?
Use less, be more efficient in the things you do use. Even small changes are a good contribution, every person has different lifestyles and habits. Certain things we use aren’t that necessary.

Do you have any other designs in the mix yet?
Unocup does plan on offering a reusable model in the future, as Unocup's design would also translate to a more convenient and minimal reusable cup than the ones we're used to. We will be looking at doing other designs in the future.

How can we support and/or purchase Unocup?
Please email info@unocup.com for more information.

What is your motto in life?
Tom: I don’t have a motto
Kaanur: Trust your instincts.

Please list any websites or social media you would like Jejune to promote:
www.unocup.com
Instagram: unocuptogo
Facebook: unocuptogo

Photography by Cara Vision Photography

Unocup Has A New Fold On Fighting The Plastic Crisis