eco-friendly paper coffee cups get a vibrant holder that folds up and down like an accordion

Accordion Eco-friendly paper coffee cups with lids and holder

A stack of portable, eco-friendly coffee cups with lids make up the Accordion Paper Cup, born from the idea of designers at Shenzhen Samore Design&Research Product Planning. It’s not just the paper coffee cups and their lids that stand out. It’s also the vibrant cup holder that can stretch and collapse like an accordion.

In this way, the classic brown color of the portable and eco-friendly paper coffee cups are given a zesty life with its ombre-shaded accordion holder. When it is expanded, the vibrant holder may resemble a luminous fishnet but for cups. In terms of materials, the designers mention that both the paper coffee cups and their holders employ recyclable, renewable and biodegradable materials without detailing the specifics.

all images courtesy of Shenzhen Samore Design&Research Product Planning Co., Ltd, via iF Design

Heat and cold insulation that doubles as a handle

Aside from their lively-looking holder, heat and cold insulation are also applied to the Accordion Paper Cups. Because of these, the container can retain the warmth and coolness of their drinks for a long time. Details about how they’re placed into the cups are yet to be defined by the designers, namely Zhu Hengyao, Zhou Fei, Li Zhe, Zhi Weihang, and Zhang Jie. What they’ve noted is that this insulation can also be used ‘as a handle.’

This may give the impression that the accordion holder might have these properties too, doubling the warmth and coolness retention qualities of the materials. Portable and eco-friendly paper coffee cups are the results of the designers’ use of recyclable, renewable and biodegradable materials. In this situation, they may be able to reduce unnecessary waste while highlighting the concept of environmentally friendly cup design.

view of the eco-friendly paper coffee cup with its accordion holder

Are the Eco-friendly paper coffee cups being developed?

There is no news yet about whether or not the Accordion Paper Cup will hit production or the market. Even its development process is dubbed ‘confidential’, so far. In case they hit the shelves, the target areas of these portable, eco-friendly paper coffee cups with lids are worldwide. The original date of its introduction is up in the air, but the Accordion Paper Cup was awarded the iF Design Award 2024 in Professional Concepts and Packaging Concepts.

the vibrant cup holder can stretch and collapse like an accordion