Starbucks is one of the most influential coffee chains in the world. Like Apple and other industry giants, Starbucks has a controversial history when it comes to product life cycle. One of the biggest issues is the incredible number of paper cups used every day throughout it’s coffee shops. Commuters often pick up a coffee in the morning and dispose of the cup after they’ve finished. This is a part of the morning routine, and so the number of cups exhausted through one person can reach high numbers in just a few months.
The Helix Cup project is designed to tackle the need to use new paper cups every morning. This new product is a pocket sized fold out cup that can be rinsed and re-filled every time you go to Starbucks. Inspired by origami lanterns, the cup is easily folded down into the lid and unfolded to be filled. Different to other re-usable cups currently on the market, this product can be stored in your pocket, purse, handbag or anywhere you can fit a coffee lid.
It’s portability isn’t the only benefit gained from obtaining the product. Each cup has an NFC chip registered to a customer or Starbucks account. Points are gained every time the customer uses the Helix Cup, adding an incentive to keep using it
