Looks aren't everything - but a "waste-less" choice that is also a thing of beauty? Double win.
No surprises, then, that potter Renton Bishopric and his partner Clare Botfield have been feeling the love from coffee drinkers across Australia for their Pottery for the Planet cups.
The couple, who run a production studio and pottery school at Mount Coolum, and a retail shop, , in Eumundi, started making their cups last year.
"We have both always been very passionate about the environment and this is just our latest effort to do something proactive to change the way humans go about things," Bishopric tells SBS.
"We started a few years ago making limited edition pottery pieces to raise funds for environmental causes, like stopping the Coal Port development in Keppel Bay in Central Queensland. More recently we decided to do something about the single-use plastics issue and started making our reusable coffee cups.
"We have seen steady growth in demand since we began producing the Planet Cups just over a year ago. The recent War on Waste series on ABC TV was the most obvious boost to the big 'awakening' of the wider population in Australia."
The founders of Planet Cups, Clare Botfileld and Renton Bishopric with a style of their cups. Source: Pottery for the Planet
The pair is both involved in the creation of the cups - Bishopric in the making of the cups and Botfield in glazing and firing. The handmade ceramic coffee beakers, which come in several sizes, are fitted with a silicone lid and optional silicone heat band. The designs range from subtle washes of colour to punchy grahics.
By creating "beautiful things that people love", Botfield says, they hope to encourage people to make choices that help the planet.
Bishopric, who also creates custom tableware for restaurants, says that even small changes - like a coffee cup - make a difference.
"It's time for the disposable culture to change. We need to ... ask ourselves the question 'how can I make a choice that wastes less?' ". Ways to make a difference, he suggests, include avoiding single-use items, choosing products that last longer, choosing products that have less production waste and transport mileage, purchasing pre-loved items and repairing and repurposing broken things.
And when it comes to avoiding single-use items, buying a beautiful coffee cup is a win-win choice.
