A participatory reusable cup circulation platform developed at UNIST has received a   2026 iF Design Award , one of the world's most respected design honors. 

The award-winning service platform, CampusCup, was created by UNIST's Department of Design, in partnership with the Resource Circulation Division of Ulsan Metropolitan City . The initiative builds on UlsanCup , a reusable cup program now operating at cafés across Ulsan and the UNIST campus. Together, the projects have helped eliminate the use of more than 36,000 disposable cups to date.

Led by Professor Seungho Park-Lee of the Department of Design, the project involved student researchers Dayoung Shin, Minju Park, Minju Han, and Taegeun Kim, who also worked on the original UlsanCup initiative.

Disposable cups remain one of the most visible forms of single-use plastic waste, especially in cafés and fast-food restaurants. CampusCup tackles that problem by making reuse easier to adopt and easier to sustain. The team designed the service around the everyday habits of campus users, refining how cups are borrowed, returned, tracked, and reused.

The system includes simple return routes, deposit and incentive options, and service features that encourage voluntary participation. It also uses life cycle assessment data to measure environmental impact, including reductions in waste and carbon emissions. This allows universities and local governments to move beyond symbolic sustainability campaigns and make decisions based on evidence.

The iF Design Award, founded in Germany, recognizes design that combines quality, usability, sustainability, and social value. CampusCup was recognized not only as a service design but as a practical system that can help campuses reduce waste at scale.

The model is already drawing attention beyond UNIST. With possible expansion to nearby institutions, including the University of Ulsan (U of U) and Choonhae College of Health Sciences, CampusCup shows how a locally tested service can grow into a broader university resource-circulation model.

“Through this project, we saw that design is not only about shaping objects, but about changing habits and everyday systems,” said Dayoung Shin, a student researcher on the project. “Working on a real service helped us understand more deeply how design can respond to social and environmental challenges.”

An official from Ulsan Metropolitan City said the project shows the value of connecting public policy with design that works in daily life. “UlsanCup has shown that resource circulation can work when policy, design, and citizen participation move together,” the official said. “With Campus Cup receiving international recognition, we hope this model can become more refined and spread across university campuses.”

Professor Lee said the award reflects the strength of design education rooted in real-world problems. He further noted, “This project allowed students to address a real social issue and design a system that people can actually use. We will continue to work with public partners to develop sustainable services and policy models that can create lasting change.”

The project grew out of the   Brain to Society (BTS) Project-based Learning Program, jointly operated by UNIST and the U of U. It later advanced through the Digital Convergence Design Talent Development Project, supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP).

CampusCup also builds on outcomes from the   2023 Community Problem-Solving Project through Science and Technology , supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), and the Ulsan Metropolitan City.