Building sustainable furniture from used ship building material

Imabari City in Ehime Prefeture is known to be one of Japan’s leading shipbuilding towns in the Setouchi region, facing the Seto Inland Sea. The city prides in building beautiful ships that travel the world, but shipbuilding has its drawbacks: tens of thousand tons of old shipbuilding materials have been discarded and incinerated over the years.

Three companies — Asakawa Shipbuilding in Imabari City (Ehime Prefecture), ConTenna in Matsuyama City (Ehime) and Ozma PR in Chiyoda Ward (Tokyo) — were quick to take notice of this. They searched for a way to reuse old wood that were once scaffolding boards that craftsmen set up during the process of building ships. Maybe they could make furniture by upcycling them?

Hence emerged the brand “Setouchi Shipbuilding Furniture” that breathes life into these antique wood. The 50mm thick wood of old natural cedar with straight grain had a warm touch and a natural, pleasant scent. They were perfect for folding dining tables, working desks, shelves and benches. Furniture craftsmen then delicately crafted each item with their hands. Black leather iron with blue tint, which transforms with age, was selected to hold the wood pieces together, adding a modern touch.

While Asakawa Shipbuilding provided the wood, ConTenna designed the furniture. Meanwhile, Ozma PR sought for a way to distribute it. In June 22, the three companies announced the new brand, and started selling these originally produced handmade furniture at online marketplace “iichi” as well as select shop “ConTenna” in Iyo City, Ehime Prefecture.

In addition to ready-made furniture, the brand also answers to customized orders from customers. Also, the wood is suitable for building materials for houses and shops, not to mention flooring for homes.

The three companies hope that by taking advantage of this unique material and giving it a new role, they can contribute to forming a recycling-based society that is kind to the environment. The upcycling project demonstrates a good example of how a local industry can help create a sustainable society from a simple, inspirational idea.