Upcycling wine corks into stylish products with TOKYO CORK PROJECT

TOKYO CORK PROJECT, led by GOOD DEAL COMPANY, launches a new brand anela, which carries a range of lifestyle products made from recycled materials.

The TOKYO CORK PROJECT is a project started ten years ago when Shingo Kitamura realized the severity of food loss in Japan. He was shocked to find out that every restaurant disposes of over 1000 wine corks every month. As of 2018, Tokyo city alone consumes 150 million bottles of wine annually. This represents one-third of the country’s wine consumption.

Kitamura started the TOKYO CORK PROJECT because he firmly believed that these wine corks could be put to better use. As of October 2020, they have collected close to 4 million wine corks. Recycle boxes are made accessible to everyone at 750 restaurants in Japan, of which 400 are in Tokyo.

The TOKYO CORK PROJECT follows a systematic approach to recycling. Wine corks are collected from restaurants and ground into pieces. These pieces are then pressed together and cut into desired shapes and sizes to create products such as coasters, toy bricks, and stools.

Promoting a circular economy and responsible consumption

One of TOKYO CORK PROJECT’s main goals is to achieve a circular economy. They do not only promote recycling but also want to encourage customers to adopt a new approach to consumption through purchasing recycled products. Buying recycled products is as important as recycling.

Brands such as anela offer products that encourage green consumerism. anela’s products are made from a combination of wine corks and other recycled materials. These materials are upcycled and manufactured into finely designed lifestyle products. You can find products such as pet bowls and beds.

For example, the BUDDY BED, a pet bed, comes in two shapes: round and rectangle. Three different recycled materials make up the bed: wine corks, denim and polyester. The wine corks are used as bed filling, stored within the polyester, which serves as the mattress. Finally, denim is used for the bed cover.

Large consumer cities like Tokyo have the potential to explore undiscovered methods of recycling to create new materials. New materials could lead to better environmentally made products that will eventually contribute to the rise of green consumerism, a path leading to greater sustainability.