Development of eco-friendly bubble tea take-away cups

Abstract

The plastic straws negative impact on marine life has led to increasingly strict legislation. Indeed, plastic straws will be banned by 2030 in Taiwan, where three billion non-biodegradable plastic straws are consumed every year. We propose an innovative design for an eco-friendly take-away cup with a focus on the functionality required for bubble tea. The design process was based on scenario analysis using the black box approach and direct observation of the suppliers, retailers, and consumers of bubble tea. The proposed design comprises a removable lid and four different types of filters. Using morphological charts, we made mock-ups of the proposed design and tested them empirically and using fluid dynamics simulation. The final design performs well without a need for a straw and further solves the problem of tapioca pearls getting stuck in the bottom of the cup beneath the ice cubes, as is the case with conventional disposable cups.