rCUP by Ashortwalk

Founded in 2003, Ashortwalk is an award-winning eco product design company on the north coast of Cornwall in the UK. All Ashortwalk products are made from waste materials, designed to last and are 100% recyclable when they reach their end of life. 

Ashortwalk values are rooted in closed loop design that sees today’s waste as tomorrow’s product. Ranging from redundant plant pots and coffee cups to seemingly useless things like car bumpers, plastic bottles and yoghurt pots; They turn them into fantastic and durable products like house signs, tide clocks and travel mugs for you to use. Because it isn’t truly recycled until it’s reused.

In the case of the coffee cups, the main challenge to date has been the plastic film lining the paper cups, which means they are rarely recyclable. But now working with their partners Nextek and Simply Cups, Ashortwalk team has been able to recycle and shred the whole coffee cup and using the strong cellulose fibres of the cup, they can bond it with a special resin. This resin is mixed with recycled plastic to create a new material which can be manufactured into a range of new products, from pencils to tables and chairs.

Cups are already being collected and processed and Ashortwalk has started to manufacture new products made from cups for companies such as Prêt a Manger and McDonalds.

Their flagship product is the rCUP: a reusable coffee cup that has been developed with a team of recycling experts who set out on a mission to create the best reusable cup on the market today. 

The rCUP can be bought through its website or Ashortwalk's partners. 

Some other of their creations include:

• ECOPOTS: an innovative and exciting brand in flower pots and planters made from recycled plastics.   
• Tide Clocks: made from recycled UK waste materials. 
• House signs and number: made from recycled plant pots

They have received several awards including the Business Green Leaders Awards 2017 (finalists), Edie Awards 2017 (finalist), Plastic Industry Awards 2016 (finalist).