Traditional Japanese bamboo craft meets solar tech in award winning lantern

Sonnenglas Japan’s Sonnenglas®︎ EN solar lantern has received the Social Products Award 2026. The award is organised by the Association for the Promotion of Social Products (APSP), and recognises products that contribute to a sustainable society through environmental consideration, fair trade, and the preservation of traditional culture.

The Sonnenglas®︎ EN is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Japanese “andon” lantern, which merges Shizuoka Prefecture’s Suruga Take Sensuji Zaiku bamboo craft with advanced solar lighting technology.

The product consists of two primary components: the Sonnenglas®︎ SOMO solar LED unit and a handcrafted bamboo shade produced by Miyabi Andon Seisakusho. The bamboo latticework is a designated traditional craft of Japan, known for its delicate use of rounded bamboo strips. Incorporating this technique allows effective use of bamboo forest resources and encourage future succession of artisan skills. The solar units are assembled in Johannesburg, South Africa, providing fair trade employment opportunities in a region where stable work is often scarce.

The lantern is designed to be functional, too. It is powered entirely by solar energy but also supports rapid charging via USB-C. It offers adjustable brightness levels and can operate for up to 100 hours on its lowest setting. This versatility makes it a “phase-free” product, suitable for both everyday interior decoration and emergency use during power outages. The judges for the Social Products Award noted that the product successfully connects Japanese culture to modern lifestyles while maintaining a balance of utility, beauty, and social narrative.

Sonnenglas®︎ Japan designed the EN model to move away from the conventional model of consumption that creates environmental debt. Instead, it built a product to function as a social asset that generates positive impacts the more it is used.