Amukaishi

This year in the United States, the trend of carrying around "My Tumbler" made by Stanley or YETI has become very popular. However, according to a survey, only about 15% of people bring their own tumblers to cafes and other places.

In fact, major cafes have been running campaigns for over 10 years that give points back to customers who bring their own tumblers, but there has been no dramatic change in this ratio.

(An acquaintance of mine in Austin, Texas, brings four tumblers to work. His pre-work routine is to brew his favorite tea, coffee, and water in his tumblers at home.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the risk of infection from "bringing your own tumbler." Even though the pandemic is over and things have calmed down, Starbucks in the United States has adopted a system where customers do not touch their tumblers (store staff do not even wash the tumblers they receive). This is a "devise" to minimize the burden on store staff and the risk of secondary infection for staff and customers.

As things stand, there are significant disadvantages to society in abolishing disposable cups.

What is needed now is "ingenuity" that allows people in different positions to enjoy takeout coffee with peace of mind, without increasing burdens or risks, while still contributing to the circular economy.

(Paper cups have a long history, with mass production achieved in 1907 and they have become a global standard.)

Disposable paper cup sleeves are thermally insulated covers for disposable cups. They were proposed by an American inventor in 1991. Taking advantage of the fact that they can be printed on because they are made of paper, disposable paper cup sleeves can add a unique look to your drink cup, and they quickly became the standard for take-out coffee.

Recently, "cup sleeves" have been proposed that use a "third material" other than "paper" to give the product a richer look. For example, typical third materials include "leather," "synthetic rubber," and "multi-layered fabric." However, most of these are "not recommended" for washing.

If we could replace disposable paper cup sleeves with reusable ones, the amount of waste could be significantly reduced.

The condition is that it must be washable.

By chance, the founder of Amukaishi invented a "universal cup sleeve that can be washed and set on various cups" for a ceramic artist's complicated-shaped cup in 2016. Thus, Amukaishi's proposal was born: a "reusable cup sleeve" that can be washed, kept clean, and can be set on all cups with "one".

(Another point of view: disposable paper cup sleeves have the advantage of being able to advertise "logos and messages" through printing. Unless a "new means" that can replace this appears, it cannot become a "means of the future" that replaces the demand for "disposable paper cup sleeves.")

Amukaishi's reusable cup sleeves can be washed just like clothes, and can be folded compactly to keep in a bag or pocket. From this point of view, they are also an excellent circular item from the perspective of the circular economy. In addition, they are made using PET yarn, so they are recyclable. Because they are knitted from yarn, material waste is minimized.

On the other hand, "paper cup sleeves" are made by cutting fan-shaped paper material from a large roll of paper, so a large amount of waste is already generated during production.

Amukaishi cup sleeves can be washed and kept clean even if they get dirty during use, and can be used over and over again. In contrast, paper cup sleeves can only be used once, which only increases waste.

Amukaishi cup sleeves contribute to a circular economy and are a step towards realizing a sustainable future.

(The reproduction level (resolution) of Amukaishi designs is four times that of existing products (so to speak, 4K). It is comparable to "printing" on paper cup sleeves, and even surpasses "paper" due to its superior "touch", and has a strong ability to convey the intended design and message.)