Sumie NakayaA small truck named COEXIST, run by 28-year-old Keita Sugawara, sells sustainable products made in Japan. He has built and mounted a wooden mobile shop on the back of a pickup truck, using timber from forest thinning in Tokyo, to showcase eco-friendly products made locally by small communities in Japan. Starting in April 2024, his truck will be spotted around the country.
Japan’s local eco-friendly products
One of the products featured by COEXIST is an all-natural toothbrush by Nhes, based in Osaka. Bristles, the hair of horses and pigs discarded in the food industry, are meticulously planted by a 76-year-old female craftsperson onto handles made of beech wood salvaged from furniture-making. Complementing the natural toothbrush is plastic-free toothpaste made by a company based in Shiga Prefecture, Soorb. It is in a tablet form, without abrasive or forming agent, and made of food ingredients, such as eggshell, and comes in a glass jar.
Sustainability is turned into art, when it comes to a fan made of recycled origami papers from ‘thousand wing cranes’ donated to the City of Hiroshima, the home of the nuclear bomb memorial park, and from milk cartons. The handle is made of timber from forest thinning as well. Buøy, a tech lab in Kanagawa, transforms ocean plastics into beautiful home products.
Kind to nature, animal and people
Keita’s environmental activism began during his study in the U.S. at the age of 21, but his attention has turned to Japanese products based on traditional craftsmanship. He aspires to connect these communities of artisans, facilitating their mutual learning, support and public outreach and marketing. COEXIST’s vision is to create “the world that would not hurt anyone – nature, animals and people – and allow co-existence.” His truck will begin the countrywide journey, starting with the Earth Day event in Yoyogi Park, on April 13-14. It will offset its CO2 emissions through the purchase of carbon credits, including blue carbon.
The journey of COEXIST can be followed here: https://www.instagram.com/coexist_environment/
More articles about sustainable designs in Japan
- 2024-03-19: Japan’s sustainable architecture with modernity, serenity…and public access!
- 2024-03-12: Japan’s sustainable clay roof tiles kawara suitable for climate change
- 2022-12-28: MIRROR MIRROR to start renting upcycled wedding dresses
- 2022-10-11: SOLIT!, the Japanese inclusive fashion brand addressing inequality
- 2022-09-27: Here is why tatami rooms help you cool down and relax
