The Winner of Starbucks’ Coffee Cup Design Challenge Is… A Chalkboard?

Karma Cup

The concept behind the Betacup Project was simple—issue an open challenge to come up with a solution to the billions of non-recyclable coffee cups that are disposed of every year. Starbucks, perhaps one of the most obvious transgressors, was the most notable sponsor of the contest.

During the contest we were able to view the progress of the Betacup challenge and get a glimpse at some of the more promising solutions, most of which were alternative cups. In the end, after over 400 submissions, the winner of the $10,000 grand prize was… A chalkboard. Huh?

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Coffee Cups Want a Do-Over

photo: from Fast Company

Betacup—a project founded in 2009—hopes to find a solution to the 58 billion non-recyclable coffee cups that get thrown away every year. Since Starbucks probably accounts for 57 billion of those—they are sponsoring Betacup’s contest to redesign the coffee cup.

We are not just talking about an updated graphic treatment and fancy new lid—we are dealing with a complete rethink on the concept of a portable coffee cup.

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