Foundational Principle

FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE I — On Consumption States

A vessel does not carry a permanent classification. It carries a current one.

Classification is assigned at the moment of intended consumption and reflects the vessel's role in that moment alone. The same vessel may occupy different states at different times, in different hands, in different contexts. The Council classifies the moment. Not the object.

Three Consumption States are recognised:

State 0 — Storage The vessel contains liquid but no consumption is intended at this time. Outside ICD jurisdiction entirely. The Council waits.

State 1 — Reservoir The vessel is in active use as a source of liquid intended for human consumption but does not itself make lip contact. Outside ICD jurisdiction. The Council acknowledges it exists and has nothing further to say about it.

State 2 — Drinkware The vessel makes direct lip contact in the act of consumption. Subject to full ICD Drinkware Classification.

A vessel enters ICD jurisdiction the moment it enters State 2. It exits jurisdiction the moment it leaves State 2.

The Council classifies the moment. Not the object.

FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE II — On Integrity

A vessel qualifies as drinkware only if it can deliver liquid to the lips as it is, without addition, modification, or the insertion of any implement.

If a vessel requires anything to be added, attached, or inserted before consumption can occur, it is not drinkware in that state. The implement does not elevate the vessel. It confirms that the vessel is not drinkware.

Two categories of vessel feature are recognised:

Integral — formed as part of the vessel at the point of its creation. Inseparable from the vessel without destruction. A rim. A spout. A shaped lip. A carved channel. These are the vessel. They do not disqualify it from drinkware classification.

Attached — added, inserted, or fixed to the vessel at any point after or during assembly as a separate component. A straw. A nozzle. A tap. A valve. A lid with a drinking aperture. These are implements regardless of whether they are removable. Their presence confirms the vessel is not drinkware in that configuration.

Origin Class P does not require an exemption from this principle. The cupped hand undergoes reformation — a reshaping of what already exists — not addition. Nothing foreign enters or attaches to it. It satisfies Foundational Principle II on its own terms. It is noted here only to preempt the question.

If it needs something added to work, it is not drinkware. It is a vessel that has not yet admitted what it is.

FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE III — On Assessment Standards

All ICD assessments are conducted under standard conditions. These conditions are not arbitrary. They exist to ensure that classifications are reproducible, comparable, and free from the influence of contents, temperature, or circumstance.

On the Standard Fluid

All assessments use still water at ambient temperature. What the vessel is designed to contain is irrelevant to classification. A vessel designed for hot coffee is assessed with still water at ambient temperature. A vessel designed for wine is assessed with still water at ambient temperature. The Council has no interest in the liquid's opinion of itself.

On Functional Full

Functional Full is the maximum fill level at which the vessel can be positioned for State 2 without inducing spillage.

It is a ceiling, not a target. It describes the point at which any additional liquid would be lost in the act of lift. It is assessed with still water at ambient temperature.

The vessel's marketed capacity, stated volume, or name is not a factor. The Council assesses the effort of positioning. Nothing else.

On Consistency

These conditions apply without exception. A vessel that performs differently under different conditions is assessed under standard conditions only. Its performance under non-standard conditions may be noted. It will not affect the Composite String.

FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLE IV — On Multiple Certification

The Council maintains one Index — the International Drinkware Classification Index. A vessel appears in the Index only when assessed for and granted State 2 certification. What a vessel does outside State 2 is outside ICD jurisdiction and will not be indexed, noted, or followed up on.

A vessel may hold multiple certifications within the Index if it can demonstrate State 2 compliance in more than one valid configuration. Each configuration is assessed independently. A teapot drunk from the spout and a teapot drunk from the rim are two different State 2 moments and may receive two separate certifications if both satisfy the foundational principles.

Each certification is assessed on its own merits. The Council does not assume that passing one configuration implies passing another.

The Index records drinkware moments. Not drinkware objects.