激进的咖啡杯设计瞄准了塑料杯盖

The long, oft-contentious relationship between plastic lids and paper coffee cups may soon come to a welcome end.

塑料杯盖和纸制咖啡杯之间长期存在的、经常引起争议的关系可能很快就要结束了。

The Unocup aims to combat waste by ditching plastic coffee cup lids in favor of an integrated, foldable design. (Photo: photography: cara vision/Unocup)

A new company called Unocup is securing financial backing through Kickstarter for an innovative paper coffee cup that ditches plastic and embraces an ergonomic and spill-resistant integrated lid. The idea, conceived by designers Tom Chan and Kaanur Papo, is aimed directly at combatting the 8.25 million tons of plastic waste that enters the oceans each year. In New York City alone, nearly 1.5 billion plastic coffee lids are discarded annually.

一家名为Unocup的新公司正在通过Kickstarter为一款创新的纸制咖啡杯争取资金支持。该纸制咖啡杯抛弃了塑料，采用了符合人体工程学的防喷溅一体化杯盖。这个想法是由设计师Tom Chan和Kaanur Papo提出的，旨在直接对抗每年流入海洋的825万吨塑料垃圾。仅在纽约市，每年就有近15亿个咖啡塑料盖子被丢弃。

According to the designers, it takes only a few seconds to quickly engage the spill-resistant and ergonomic foldable lid. (Photo: photography: cara vision/Unocup)

The Unocup's journey from idea to commercially-ready product started in 2015 as an entry in an invention competition at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in Manhattan. After winning a $100,000 international sustainability prize from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the design underwent an additional 800 prototypes before settling on the easy-to-use form.

2015年，曼哈顿库珀联盟科学与艺术促进会举办了一场发明竞赛，Unocup从创意到商业化成品的旅程由此拉开序幕。在获得艾伦·麦克阿瑟基金会颁发的10万美元国际可持续发展奖后，该设计又经历了800次原型试验，最终选定了易于使用的形式。

The Unocup was conceived in 2015 as part of an invention competition at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. (Photo: photography: cara vision/Unocup)

According to the company, folding and unfolding the integrated lid is quick and intuitive. Gone are the days of having make do with an ill-fitting plastic lid or risk spillage with an accidental grip from above. Even the drinking experience, they claim, is an improvement.

据该公司介绍，折叠和打开集成的盖子是快速和直观的。用一个不合适的塑料盖凑合着用，或者从上面意外抓握而冒着溢出的危险的日子已经一去不复返了。他们声称，即使是饮用经历，也是一种进步。

"Unocup's drinking spout is designed to fit your lips perfectly and create the smoothest drinking experience," the Kickstarter page explains. "Traditional plastic lids feature a rigid opening that feels unnatural, while Unocup's curved drinking spout guides your beverage fluidly to your mouth."

众筹网站Kickstarter的页面上解释道:“Unocup的饮嘴设计得能完美贴合你的嘴唇，让你获得最顺畅的饮用体验。”“传统的塑料杯盖有一个坚硬的开口，让人感觉不自然，而Unocup的弧形饮水口则引导你的饮料流进嘴里。”

Because the design is optimized for mass-production using existing cup-making machinery, the company expects the Unocup to "yield significant cost and energy savings in manufacturing, storage, and transportation that would otherwise be spent on plastic lids."

由于该设计是为使用现有的制杯机器进行批量生产而优化的，该公司预计Unocup将“在制造、储存和运输方面节省大量成本和能源，否则这些成本和能源将花费在塑料杯盖上。”

As part of their Kickstarter campaign, the company partnered with NYC artist Alexis Kandra to create unique sustainability themed artwork Unocups. Alexis paints animals in surreal arrangements to raise awareness of the threats they face from human activities. (Photo: collaborative artist: alexis kandra/Unocup)

Speaking with MNN, Chan said local businesses and chains alike have already showed interest in the Unocup.

陈在接受MNN采访时说，当地企业和连锁企业已经对Unocup表现出了兴趣。

"We have considered using the design for water-bottle alternatives, as well as for soups, and plan on producing a reusable version in the future," he added.

他补充说:“我们已经考虑过把这个设计用于瓶装水的替代品，以及汤，并计划在未来生产一个可重复使用的版本。”

To have a peek at what's hopefully the future of recyclable coffee cups, jump on over to the company's Kickstarter here.

想要了解可回收咖啡杯的未来，请登录该公司的Kickstarter网站。