Florida firm folds the lid into the paper coffee cup

Your next coffee cup might come without a lid at all.

Nothing, a Florida-based company co-founded by Brandon Leeds and Jordan Leeds, has created hot and cold paper takeaway cups with the lid built into the cup itself, according to Dezeen. The tall sides fold down to close the top. No separate piece is needed.

The two drinks close in different ways. The hot cup uses three flaps that fold together and lock, leaving a small spout for drinking. The cold cup uses four folds that meet in the middle, with an insert that holds a straw.

The shape is part of the plan too. The body is slightly triangular rather than round. It is designed to fit into the hand while the folded top stays shut.

The material matters as much as the fold. The cups use a water-based coating in place of a plastic lining. That coating is an aqueous dispersion, a water-based mixture that binds to paper fibres while the cup is being formed. It is certified plastic-free by Flustix, an independent certifier.

That construction is built for composting. The cups hold OK compost HOME accreditation from TÜV, a testing and certification body, which covers composting at home. They are designed to decompose in 180 days.

Nothing developed two versions of its proprietary cups in the past two years. It is now working with thousands of vendors in the United States and Canada.

On its own product page, the company markets its Hot Cup as "Plastic-free, lid-free, guilt-free" and sells it in cases of 1,000 cups, according to Nothing. The page states that the water-based coating is PFAS-free, PFAS being a group of widely used chemical additives, as well as biodegradable and recyclable. It also lists the hot cups as industrially compostable, which means composting in a managed facility.

What makes this stand out is the simplicity. One cup. Nothing extra to carry, drop or sort.