“Aid To” marine plastic accessories to spread awareness of Arakawa River pollution

The 173km long Arakawa River flows through a wide area of the Tokyo metropolitan area. It runs from Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture to the mouth of the river that empties into Tokyo Bay, east of the 23 wards of Tokyo. Yet, mixed in the soil of the riverbed are small white, black and colorful grains. These are microplastics, or plastics smaller than 5 mm, discharged from the Arakawa River basin. Microplastics flow out of the mouth of the Arakawa River into Tokyo Bay and affect the marine ecosystem as marine plastics.

Through its accessories, “Aid To” wants more people to become aware of this microplastic problem in Arakawa. However, its idea is not to deny plastic, but to “shine a light once again on plastic that has completed its mission.” With this in mind, the accessory brand Aid To was created by the NPO Arakawa Clean Aid Forum, which is actively tackling the Arakawa River waste problem.

The Arakawa Clean Aid Forum has been involved in Arakawa Clean Aid activities for more than 20 years since 1994. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, they held more than 150 trash pickup events a year. To date, they have worked with approximately 13,000 people to clean up the Arakawa River.

The Aid To’s accessories are made of microplastics collected through such activities in the Arakawa River which would have otherwise washed out into the ocean.

Life Hugger spoke with Kazuyuki Imamura, marine biologist and office manager, and Sayaka Takemura, Aid To’s designer, about their story behind the brand and the future they hope to realize 100 years from now.

“Aid To”: Empowering everyone to make a big difference

The Arakawa Clean Aid Forum has been involved in trash pickup activities along the banks of the Arakawa River for 20 years. One of the problems was that the number of people participating in the cleanup activities had not expanded. Until now, most of the participants in their trash pickup activities have been men in their 40s or older. Imamura says, “We wanted to bring more attention to the problem of plastic waste in the Arakawa River to women and the younger generation.” It was at this time that one of the staff members came up with the idea of making accessories out of Arakawa microplastics, which led to the birth of the brand.

The brand name “Aid To” means that even if a single person cannot solve a problem by themselves, small efforts can add up to great power. It is meant to express the importance of supporting each other to solve problems. In fact, since launching Aid To, they have received inquiries from people of all ages and gender. In addition, more and more people, especially Generation Z, have become interested in the Arakawa Clean Aid Forum and the operational support of Aid To.

Takemura, the brand designer, says that her awareness of the problems facing the Arakawa River has changed dramatically as a result of her involvement in the creation of Aid To.

“I myself was busy with work and raising my children, and environmental issues seemed like something far away. However, after visiting a riverbed and seeing the presence of microplastics, I began to think seriously about what we can do for the next generation.

“I hope that, by picking up an Aid To accessory, parents and children find more opportunities to discuss these issues together.”

The “Arakawa Model” reflects the current state of the Arakawa River, the last stronghold to the sea

There are two types of microplastics mixed in the riverbed soil: resin pellets, which are deviated raw materials before molding, and plastic-made products that have become finer due to ultraviolet rays, wind or waves. While beach cleanups collect relatively colorful grains, most of the microplastics on the banks of the Arakawa River are white or black. They are derived from resin pellets spilled from paper bags from factories and other sources.

These monotone grains are carefully selected one by one, and Takemura transforms them into vivid looking accessories. “For people to become aware of the existence of microplastics, we first need to get people to pick up an Aid To accessory and say, ‘I want to wear it.’ We try to show microplastics as one of the materials used in our accessories by arranging them with beads and glitter.”

“We plan to develop items with monotone designs using mainly these black and white microplastics as the signature component of the ‘Arakawa Model,’ which evokes the current state of the Arakawa River.”

Even in the process of accessory production, great care is taken to prevent microplastics from mixing with wastewater and spilling out. For example, when washing the microplastics materials, they are placed inside a double layer of fine mesh netting, the netting is also placed in the drain, and when finishing the product, the surface is wiped one by one with wet tissue to prevent resin powder from washing out with water into the drainage system.

On the other hand, the Aid To accessories are not plastic-free items, as they are made of microplastics solidified with resin. This reflects Imamura’s idea of “not denying plastic.” In the Arakawa watershed area, schools in Adachi Ward have been installing more and more artificial turf in recent years, so it is predicted that the amount of microplastics from artificial turf will increase in the future. Some people may consider artificial turf schoolyards rational because they produce no dust and require less management effort in terms of cost and curing period.

“The plastic problem is a trade-off for the comfort and convenience of our lives. In the future, materials may be created to replace plastics that are less environmentally hazardous, more versatile and lower in cost. Until then, I think it is important that we keep a good relationship with plastic while balancing it with environmental issues.”

The world without Aid To, 100 years from now

Aid To was started to raise awareness of the microplastic problem in the Arakawa River and to protect the rivers and oceans for the future generations. All proceeds fund Arakawa Clean Aid activities for the future of the Arakawa River.

What does Imamura want to realize through Aid To 100 years into the future? “A future where Aid To does not exist.” Imamura continues, “A future in which the Aid To brand cannot survive, means a world in which microplastics have disappeared from the Arakawa River.”

“I hope that 100 years in the future, people will look at the Aid To accessories passed down from parents to children and from children to grandchildren and ask, ‘What is microplastics?’ ‘Things that used to be on the Arakawa River, but not anymore.’ I hope that people will look at the microplastics trapped in the resin and feel the passion that people have spun to protect the Arakawa River environment, and pass it on to the next 100 years.” Imamura hopes to see such a future on the Arakawa River.

Editorial note

As Imamura, who is also a sea turtle researcher, says, “The ocean is the victim.” Marine plastic is garbage produced by humans that has washed out into the ocean. I nodded deeply again and again to the words of Imamura and Takemura, which I heard many times during the interview: “The city garbage that people produce has to be cleaned up where they live.”

As I looked at the “Arakawa model” hairpin that I fell in love with and purchased on the day of the interview, I wondered if 100 years from now, these small grains of black and white might be talked about as unobtainable material.

Imamura says, “Ethical consumption means to think about ‘ethical’ by picking up things and experiencing services that are good for people and the environment.” I hope many people will envision the Earth we want to leave for the future by picking up Aid To products. Hopefully, it will lead to a small change in their behavior to protect the rivers and oceans.

If you would like to see Aid To products, come to MoFF 2022!

The exhibition curated by Zenbird and Life Hugger will be held in “MoFF 2022” at TRUNK HOTEL in Shibuya on Friday, Sept. 9. We will introduce Aid To at the exhibition. Please join us at MoFF 2022 to check out their product line.

Here is the link of MoFF 2022.

Related feature articles

• Zenbird will hold the first exhibition in “MoFF 2022” in Shibuya on Sept. 9th
• What is ethical consumption?
• UZ Fabric passes on kimono culture to the next generation by upcycling
• “Aid To” marine plastic accessories to spread awareness of Arakawa River pollution
• Ethical lacquered chopsticks to preserve traditions among modern Japanese
• On the path to preserve Japan’s open pollinated seeds diversity
• “YES” breathes new life into vacant houses’ furniture through upcycling and reuse
• Zenbird’s first exhibition with MoFF 2022’s 2900-strong crowd