These McDonald’s coffee cups probably look better than your mugs at home

Having helped the fast food giant improve its image in Europe by revamping the interior design of its restaurants, Patrick Norguet was once again hired by McDonald’s to create a more eco-friendly alternative to its disposable coffee cups.

The result is the Tasse, a ceramic cup wrapped in an insulating foam sleeve that helps keep the coffee hot, but more importantly, prevents customers from burning their hands. Its minimal design is branded with the golden arches logo, but besides that no one will be able to tell you’re drinking coffee from the same place that sells Happy Meals — a culinary crime that’s probably even more shocking in a country like France. But it’s hard to complain about the branding when McDonald’s actually intends to give away five million of the cups absolutely free to encourage its patrons to switch from relying on the disposable variety. In the long run the promotion could actually save the company money, and if it’s successful the company might just try the same thing in North America.

Source: Gizmodo, 24 July 2012