Care and Materials: Thermal

Cup

18/8 food-grade electropolished stainless steel

Benefits

• Double-walled and vacuum sealed for thermal insulation, to keep your drink hot (or cold) for longer, and to protect touch.
• Electropolished stainless steel to enjoy the full flavour of your drink. We use the highest quality food-grade stainless steel 18/8 (304) so there is no metallic after taste, meaning a ceramic painted coating isn't necessary.
• Cup lip designed for pleasurable drinking without the lid.
• Drafted for an easy pour, with volumes and sizes replicating industry standard single-use cups for ease of cafe workflow and speed of service.

Product care

• A vacuum seal sucks the air from twin walls of stainless steel, providing thermal insulation and ensuring it is not too hot or too cold when holding.
• If the vacuum seal is punctured or damaged, the cup may become hot to touch with hot liquids.
• We guarantee manufacturing defects and provide a ​12 month warranty for all KeepCup Thermal products.
• We recommend hand washing your cup to preserve the surface finish. Dishwasher tablets can be abrasive and can cause surface damage.
• As with all stainless steel items, the KeepCup Thermal must never be placed ​in the microwave.​
• Freezing temperatures can damage the insulation properties of your insulated Thermal (and if sealed, the vacuum insulation will prevent the inside from becoming cold anyway). To carry the coldest of contents in your insulated KeepCup Thermal, fill with ice and enjoy.​

Material information
The "grade" of stainless steel refers to the amount of chromium and nickel found within it, percentage of which is used to designate and determine best material fit for purpose. ​ Stainless steel 18/8 (also referred to as type 304) is the most common grade of stainless steel used for food preparation and dining due to its robust durability and non-corrosive nature when used in conjunction with myriad of beverage and food types and no metallic aftertaste It's known for its durability and reuse longevity, and is a 100% recyclable resource without degradation. Due to its long life, high value and increasing demand, the average recycled content in current global stainless steel production is 25%. The stainless steel used for our cups comes from South Korea and is 35% recycled scrap content. Electropolishing creates a microscopically smooth, mirror-like surface (compared to polished). It provides extra protection from corrosion, metallic taint and reduced opportunity for bacterial growth, and removes the need for an interior coating or lining.

Part manufacture
China

Manufacture waste
Parts that do not meet quality standard are collected and sold back to the mill for use in production. Scrap metal content is mixed with raw material as standard industry practice.

Assembly waste
Customer returns and reject parts from assembly are collected and sent to local commercial recycling. Along with other collected metal material, they are shipped to Germany for reprocessing. Due to material long life, high value and increasing demand the average recycled content in current global production is 25%. Scrap is valuable for the raw elements they contain, such as chromium and nickel, and for the reduced raw material required. 

End of life
Replacement parts are available, so you can replace the part, not the product. Stainless steel can be recycled in household waste collection services. However only 30% of steel is recycled globally. The paint finish does not impact recyclability. The global recycling industry is in crisis, so the most effective action you can take is to reduce and reuse. If your vacuum seal is compromised by puncturing or dropping, we ask that you please continue using it for those occasions where you don't need the thermal properties, rather than it throwing away.

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Lid

Polypropylene alloy plastic (PP) #7
A modified polypropylene (PP) lid body substrate combined with an overmolded dark grey thermoplastic elastomer inner seal (TPE) means the lid is a polypropylene alloy. Reclassified from the traditional polypropylene (PP) #5 to #7 plastic.

Benefits

• Our firm, easy to press on lid is the result of precise engineering and manufacturing and fits easily into a busy service environment, as well as providing drinking pleasure on the go.
• Concave shaped, to fit your face with a drink hole sized for easy flow.
• If the rim of the cup is knocked or dented, ​it may break the press fit lid seal.​

Product care

• We recommend that you wait 30 seconds after pouring boiling water before putting your lid on.
• Retain plug in open position for all contents over 65C.
• The lid pops directly on and off, make sure you use the tab on the lid to lift off and to firmly and evenly press back on.
• Dishwasher safe, top rack.
• Do not microwave.
• To avoid odour, store with lid off.

Material information

The lid for our KeepCup Thermal range is manufactured with two easily identifiable material parts. The first is a modified polypropylene (PP) lid body substrate, which provides a rigid structure. This is then used to overmold the second material part, the dark grey thermoplastic elastomer inner seal (TPE). The two materials bond together in the molding process. TPEs are most commonly a mix of plastic and rubber. They have the properties of rubber, but are processed the same way as plastic and are recyclable. The inner seal provides the soft flexibility to ensure necessary sealing that accommodates slight cup shape variances unavoidable in the glass blowing process.

Part manufacture
Australia

Manufacture waste
Reject stock, extrusion and tool part plastic waste at point of manufacture is ground up in house, added to palletised material and used to manufacture products which are not required to be food safe.

Assembly waste and customer returns
Customer returns and reject parts are collected and sent to our local manufacturer to be ground down and used to make other products that are not required to be food safe.

End of life
If the cup leaks from the lid, wash in the dishwasher and allow to cool completely, often the lid can bounce back into shape. Replacement parts are available, so you can replace the part, not the product. If your household waste service collection accepts #7 hard plastics, please place in your recycle bin for collection. Less than 10% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. Currently, 40% of all plastic produced globally is for single-use packaging. Reusable solutions are the only way forward to meaningfully reduce waste and pollution.

Read more on why we use plastic >

Plug

Low-density polyethylene plastic (LDPE) #4

Benefits

• Designed for ease of rotation while drinking on the go.
• The plug ensures adequate hygiene as it covers the mouthpiece when not in use. It also prevents spills in transit.
• Designed to be taken apart easily for thorough cleaning.
  

Product care

• For daily use, wash the plug as part of the lid. The plug can be removed for a thorough clean.
• Do not microwave.
• Use caution in dishwasher if separate from lid, as plugs can fall through the rack and be damaged or melted by the dishwasher element.
  

Material information
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is one of the most widely used plastics for food and drink containers. This material is malleable and easy to injection mold, ensuring we achieve the right dimensional tolerances, and therefore better fit and part operation. This accuracy contributes to lowering the overall manufacture footprint of our products.

Part manufacture
Australia and the United Kingdom

Manufacture waste
Reject stock, extrusion and tool part waste are ground into pellets and used to manufacture products that are not required to be food safe or colour matched.

Assembly waste and customer returns
Customer returns and reject parts from assembly are collected and returned (sorted by material) to the manufacturer to be pelletised and used to manufacture products not required to meet food safety standards.

End of life
Replacement parts are available, so you can replace the part, not the product. Low density polyethylene is readily recycled via most household waste service collections worldwide. Please place in your recycle bin for collection.

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Packaging

100% FSC certified board using soy-based inks. Our packaging tells the story of KeepCup's reuse revolution to inspire our customers to reduce and reuse.

Benefits

• In addition to telling the story of our products and their benefits, we design packaging that walks the line - avoiding breakage and protecting products in transit while minimising material to reduce waste.
• Where appropriate, we work with customers to ship large orders bulk packed and semi assembled, without retail packaging, to reduce waste.
  

Carton packaging material
Our recycled cardboard cartons are designed to maximise the number of product configurations, and are made in Australia and the UK to service local markets. All packaging materials are reused within our supply chain and packing processes. The cartons themselves are used first to store and ship components to us from our manufacturers, and are then reused in our assembly locations to ship products to our customers.

Part manufacture
Australia and the United Kingdom

Manufacture waste
100% of all retail and carton packaging reject stock and manufacture offcuts are collected and recycled.

Assembly waste
When packing orders, we reuse stock cartons and utiliise cardboard waste as space filler. Any damaged cartons, reject retail boxes or unused packaging are commercially recycled.

End of life
All retail packaging and cardboard cartons are readily recycled via household waste service collections worldwide. Please place in your recycle bin for collection.

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