NXT CUP with reKEy is a recycled aluminum, double-wall cup that seamlessly integrates into existing infrastructure (in-store, manufacturing facilities, and existing recycling facilities). It provides an economically viable solution to reach 100% recycling rates for Starbucks. NXT CUP's use of double-wall construction allows Starbucks to stock one cup for both hot and cold drinks while offering functional improvement for the user (temperature retention and insulation).
Aluminum is a cradle-to-cradle material that is 100% recyclable with no degradation, it can be recycled endlessly with no change in performance. Not only is recycled aluminum cheaper than virgin aluminum, it offers 95% energy savings. Aluminum is easily sorted through existing mechanical means (magentic eddy current), avoiding the pitfalls and troubles of plastics recycling (sorting and contamination). Using recycled aluminum addresses the reality that composting is not economically viable nor widespread in high-heat, large scale commercial adoption (which is required for most bio-plastics and similar materials). Recycling rates for aluminum some of the highest, currently around 54%, but was at a high of 68% in the late 90's. With a concerted effort and considered systems design, we can reach recycle rates far beyond.
With a personal reKEY recycling system, users can easily get their $0.25 deposit refund credited to their account through an RFID key chain (thus avoiding additional steps) and pay for future purchases from available credit funds. Using a deposit incentive has been demonstrated to increase recycling rates by up to 58%. Recycle your stackable NXT CUPS easily at existing recycling centers and future recycling stations at select Starbucks locations. This system also provides Starbucks with an additional data set and information to further refine the system to meet user and environmental needs (and identify future Starbucks recycling stations).
NXT CUP with reKEY considers the environmental, social, and business contexts to combine superior functional performance, superior economic performance, and superior environmental performance. It offers substantial benefit to Starbucks, the user, recycling facilities, and the environment.
*Facts referenced are sourced from the Container Recycling Institute
€20,000 Overall Community Prize
to be defined Sold Idea
Product Design: Help reduce waste from coffee-to-go paper cups and come up with sustainable solutions!
Closed
Announced
Submission Period (61 Days)
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gracetombe
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IceQueen
but i do like the grooves on the outside front bottom part.
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ppp idea owner
Actually, the NXT CUP isn't intended to be cleaned/reused. From the consumer research and information that Betacup shared, as with anecdotal evidence, people tend to prefer the convenience of single-use cups. This looks to solve this problem (while those who prefer to use reusable cups can continue with their own mug). However, a slight modification of the design concept could allow for easy cleaning and reuse as well.
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aiyo
Great work on the CAD and thinking out the user scenarios, its also nice to see some good research.
Best of luck!
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modernrockstar
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ppp idea owner
Certainly, it is true than aluminum would have a higher price point at the retail than paper cups, but the value created by having recyclable aluminum cups as opposed to landfill paper cups is known (otherwise, there would be no Betacup competition). We fail to calculate the true cost of paper cups because we don't price a value for their environmental cost.
In regards to initial start up expenditures, yes there would be tooling and production set-up costs, but ammortized over the volume of products produced (and we are talking about 58 billion potential cups), that cost is a small percentage. Add to that the potential to add other cup typologies (fast food, cold/hot, etc.) and those start-up costs are only a small hurdle on the way to implementation.
Recycling costs actually pay for themselves. Aluminum recycling is the only recycling/composting process that has demonstrated itself to be financially sustainable (without government subsidies). The demand for recycled aluminum is high because of the energy and cost savings associated with it.
Based on the figures I could find for the cost of aluminum soda cans, and calculating costs for a double-wall cup - a rough estimate would be around four cents a cup (varies depending on size, of course). Naturally, this depends on large scale implementation.
Shipping costs would be slightly higher than paper cups, as a thin double-wall mug would stack at a slightly lower rate of unit/volume, but are not insurmountable.
I appreciate the feedback! Good to see some critical discourse happening amongst the concepts.
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angel4575
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asher84
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ppp idea owner
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haher