Category rating — not an assessment of any specific brand
This rating covers a typical, mass-market
home lifestyle product based on publicly available data.
It does not name or assess any specific manufacturer or product.
Individual products may perform better or worse.
Learn about verified ratings →
Below HIP Mark threshold
Score 2.8/10 — Standard mark requires 6.0
Standard
Silver
Gold
Category best achievable: 7.6
Depleting — materials are being used up with no way to replace them
This is what a typical reusable coffee cup looks like today. It's built to last longer than the typical one. If the maker shares their data, the score usually goes up.
Category baseline
2.8 HIP
Below Standard
Category ceiling: 7.6 HIP
Regenerative Index
-7.0
Depleting
Category ceiling RI: -2.0
What this score means
This is the starting score for Reusable Coffee Cups, based only on public data. No maker has sent us
their own data yet. The ceiling score (shown below) is what a product can reach when the maker
shares real evidence. To close the gap, makers apply for a verified rating.
Make this product? You can raise this score.
The starting score for this category is 2.8 HIP.
With full evidence, a product in this category can reach 7.6 HIP.
Our first verified product scored 6.9 and earned the HIP Mark.
Share your product data and we score what you can prove.
Apply for verified assessment
What to Check Before You Buy
- Look for a single-material lid and body, not a multi-layer composite. Multi-layer lids (silicone + polypropylene + stainless) are difficult to recycle and degrade at different rates.
- Confirm the lid seal and O-ring are sold as separate spares. They are silicone consumables that degrade with dishwasher heat; a £2 seal extending the cup's life by two years is the right outcome.
- Check the cup is dishwasher safe to at least 60°C. Hand-washing is inconsistent; a cup that is genuinely dishwasher-safe is maintained more often and stays hygienic longer.
- Look for a maker with a take-back or recycling programme. Most reusable cups last 3–5 years; take-back ensures the materials are recovered rather than landfilled.
Score Breakdown
How rare are the materials?
MSI · 20%
3.5
Why this score ▸
The product contains stainless steel and silicone, which are generally abundant, but the absence of submitted recycled content (assumed 0%) and lack of supply chain transparency regarding extraction origins creates significant scarcity risk. Under generic conservative scoring, the missing data regarding single-country concentration and the low recycled content percentage prevent a higher rating, placing the product in the Scarce category due to potential supply chain vulnerabilities.
Where do the materials come from?
SCR · 18%
3.5
Why this score ▸
The reusable coffee cup relies on stainless steel and aluminum, which are primarily sourced from China (approx. 60-70% of global supply), creating significant concentration risk. With no submitted due diligence standards, no verified alternative suppliers, and a single Tier 1 supplier, the supply chain lacks resilience against geopolitical or governance shocks in the primary sourcing region.
Can it be recycled?
RC · 18%
2.0
Why this score ▸
The product is assumed to be glued with no take-back scheme, making material separation impractical. Only an estimated 20% of the weight (likely metal components) enters practical recycling streams, while the majority of the material is effectively non-recyclable in standard infrastructure.
Can you fix it?
R · 13%
2.0
Why this score ▸
The product is assumed to be glued shut with no public service manual, making it unrepairable without damage. Although spare parts are listed as available, the lack of a parts commitment and the sealed assembly design typical of reusable cups prevents practical repair.
Is it made fairly?
SEI · 8%
3.5
Why this score ▸
The product is manufactured in China, a moderate-to-high risk jurisdiction, with no submitted third-party audits, environmental certifications, or modern slavery statements. While ILO compliance is not claimed, the absence of independent verification or audit evidence places the score in the elevated risk category.
How long will it last?
PL · 8%
4.0
Why this score ▸
The product has a 2-year warranty and a stated design life of 5 years, which aligns with typical mass-market small appliance norms. However, the lack of an IP rating and modular design prevents a higher score, as it relies on standard fasteners without explicit long-term parts commitments.
Does it give back to nature?
RI · 15% · scale −10 to +10
-7.0
Why this score ▸
The product is scored as Depleting because it relies on virgin mined materials with zero recycled content and no take-back scheme, fitting the criteria for conventional manufactured goods. It does not qualify for the Extractive band minimum of -3 because the required condition of >=50% recycled content with a verified take-back program is not met.
MSI 20% · SCR 18% · RC 18% · R 13% · SEI 8% · PL 8% · RI 15% = 100%
About the HIP Methodology ▸
Starting scores are low on purpose. We only count what we can confirm from public data,
so most products sit between 2 and 4 out of 10 before a maker shares their own evidence.
That gap between the starting score and what a product could reach is the whole point.
When a maker proves what their product is really made of, the score goes up.
The HIP Mark shows it has been checked.
Read the full methodology →
Consumer Summary
This reusable coffee cup has an overall HIP Score of 2.8 out of 10, indicating limited sustainability performance. Its Regenerative Index is -7.0, which means the product relies heavily on new materials rather than recycled ones and is difficult to recycle or repair at the end of its life.
What This Means For You
When shopping for reusable cups, look for options that clearly state they contain recycled materials and offer a take-back program for recycling. Prioritize brands that design their products for easy repair and avoid items that are glued together or lack clear instructions for maintenance.
Data Transparency
This is a category rating based on publicly available data. The following data fields were not submitted by a manufacturer and have been estimated conservatively using open reference data and the category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation):
material_percentagesrecycled_content_pctcountry_of_primary_extractionprimary_sourcing_countriestier1_supplier_countdue_diligence_standardalternative_supplier_existsdisassembly_typerecyclable_streams_pctrecycling_label_complianttakeback_schemedesign_for_disassemblyfastener_typespare_parts_years_committedservice_manual_publicifixit_scoreecodesign_in_scopemanufacturing_countriesenvironmental_certificationsthird_party_certificationrba_audit_completedmodern_slavery_statementilo_compliance_claimedip_ratingmodular_designsoftware_support_yearsprimary_material_originregenerative_certificationsclosed_loop_programmeend_of_life_programmematerial_origin_certifiedregenerative_practices
A verified rating uses manufacturer-submitted data and produces a more accurate, product-specific score.
Material Watch Points
- Recycled content assumed at 0% due to missing data
- Country of primary extraction not submitted, creating supply concentration uncertainty
- Stainless steel and aluminum concentration in China (>60% global supply)
- No due-diligence programme documented
- No alternative supplier documented
- Single Tier 1 supplier dependency
How this score was calculated
The HIP Score is a weighted average of seven dimensions measuring material
resilience, supply chain integrity, and end-of-life characteristics.
| Code |
Dimension |
Weight |
Score |
| MSI |
Material Scarcity Index |
0.20 |
3.5 / 10 |
| SCR |
Supply Chain Risk |
0.18 |
3.5 / 10 |
| RC |
Recyclability and Circularity |
0.18 |
2.0 / 10 |
| R |
Repairability |
0.13 |
2.0 / 10 |
| SEI |
Social and Environmental Impact |
0.08 |
3.5 / 10 |
| PL |
Product Longevity |
0.08 |
4.0 / 10 |
| RI |
Regenerative Index |
0.15 |
-7.0 (raw) |
Regenerative Index note: RI scores on a unique scale of -10 to +10.
Before weighting, the raw score is normalised: RI normalised = (RI raw + 10) / 2.
This product's RI band is Depleting.
Weighted HIP Score: 2.8 / 10
· Methodology v1.5
Base weights shown. Some product types use category-specific weight profiles —
see full methodology for details.
Read the full methodology →
Data Sources
This rating draws on the following public sources:
USGS Mineral Resources Program (public domain) · EU Critical Raw Materials List 2023 (CC BY 4.0) · World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Category default assumptions table v0.1 (provisional — sources pending full citation)
All sources are public domain or published under open data licences.
Full source list →
About this rating:
HIP scores are based on public data at the date shown.
They show how well a product holds up over time — not a promise about safety or future supply.
Resourcehip is not liable for choices made based on these ratings.
Scope:
This is a category rating for Reusable Coffee Cups and does not assess any specific brand or manufacturer.
Individual products may perform better or worse than this baseline.
Produced under Resourcehip Scoring Methodology 1.5 (CC BY-NC 4.0).
AI disclosure:
An AI model scored this rating on our own hardware — no data was sent to the cloud.
A human reviewer checked and approved it before it went live.
Model: qwen3.5:35b.
AI transparency notice →
Not financial or investment advice.
Ratings are for consumer information only.
Dispute this rating · Our methodology · All ratings
Assessed: 2026-06-17 · Next review: 2027-04-26 · Methodology 1.5
