anne poggenpohl
Design & environmental sciences

Crumpeld Cup

Foldable Coffee to-go Cup
Sustainable product design

58 billion non-recyclable cups cover our streets and overflow our trash cans, most of them not recycable. The coffee-to-go is no longer a matter of drinking habits, but a lifestyle.

I looked at the issue from various perspectives such as the psycological effects of coffee-to-go, the used materials, the benefits and disadvantages of current thermo cups. Also, the relation between the shape of a drinking container and the taste it evokes in the mouth were at the scope of research. The research showed that an alternative to paper cups needs to be small, easy to clean and leak-proof.

The aim was to create a form that could be squeezed easily – like a can. The small cup resembles an espresso cup. Reducing the use of material was the second step, as well as ensuring leak-proofness. Working with TPE allows one production step for two states of material and makes it easily recycable.

The foldable, re-usable coffee cup leaves no reason to use a disposable cup: it is space saving in a pocket or a bag, easy and fast to clean, 100% leak-proof, recyclable and neutral in taste. The philosophy of the cups is to make the multi-way mindset a habit again. To re-use a product instead of littering, reducing trash and to go easy on ressources – that is the concept of the foldable coffee cup.

supervised by
Prof. Hatto Grosse

Design for Manufacturing, KISD 2012-2014

exhibited at conference »Grow | Degrow 2016« conference at KISD

All design phases were learned: from field research to a functioning prototype and first meetings with a manufacturer. Storytelling, filming and editing of a movie were completely new.

Pocket Coffee Cup
Foldable Coffee Cup
Sustainable Coffee Cup
Sustainable Coffee Cup Documentation