Japanese company “Value way” is upcycling waste coffee grounds into stylish indoor sunglasses designed to reduce visual stress and enhance the sensory experience of drinking coffee. The company is a start-up dedicated to building a...
Do you have a favourite shirt with a stain or a memorable blouse faded by the sun, tucked away in the back of your wardrobe? Have you given up on clothes that are still wearable, deciding they’re no longer suitable for public wear? In Kyoto...
Have you ever considered the ultimate destination of clothes you’ve given away so they wouldn’t become waste? We gather them from our wardrobes, pack them into bags, and drop them off at collection boxes or second-hand shops. We believe that...
Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores has collected approximately 700 garments for its clothing upcycling project, “roop.” Runned by the company’s fashion subscription service AnotherADdress, it gives customers’ pre-owned clothing to emerging...
Japanese paper company Pepal Co., Ltd. has developed “Pan no Kami” (Bread Paper), a sustainable paper made by upcycling flour and crumbs from sliced bread. The project was a joint effort with the major bakery firm Shikishima Baking Co...
Gab Inc. has launched “.Garbon,” a new circular solution that uses carbonisation technology to convert previously hard-to-recycle waste into a range of new materials, including a high-quality synthetic leather. They have also begun a demonstration...
Zero Plus Co., Ltd., based in Ashiya Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, has launched a new snack that upcycles a common byproduct of Japanese pickling. The product, “Sakutto! Aka Shiso,” upcycles red shiso leaves used in making pickled plums...
Automotive parts manufacturer Toyoda Gosei has collaborated with drugstore operator Amano Holdings to produce disaster preparedness bags from upcycled industrial materials. The bags were distributed to all Amano Holdings employees on 1 September to...
Japanese biotechnology startup Fermenstation Co., Ltd. has developed a new cosmetic ingredient by upcycling yuzu citrus waste from Kochi Prefecture. The ingredient, named Yuzu Pulp Extract, will feature as an original moisturising component in a new...
Omuta City, a historic centre of Japan’s coal industry, aims to make its mark with circular energy by paving its roads with asphalt made using recycled cooking oil. The “Roa(d)cal SDGs Project,” initiated by the Saga-based Tanaka...