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Substandard fabric from Himei Akira's dye works is now being made into a new composite material. With its wood-grain pattern, it's useful in everything from furniture to small accessories.
Kojima Sachiyo runs a different sort of bar. Customers make small items out of scrap material. Finding new appreciation for things once seen as disposable, all while enjoying a drink with friends.
Clockmaker Takumi Ada spends his days repairing clocks damaged in a massive earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in 2024. He also helps the clocks' owners recover some of the time they've lost.
Nearly everything the Sakamoto family eats they produce themselves, collecting local food waste to feed their pigs, and using solar power. A zero waste life cycle that also makes for a happy family.
Potters Matsubara Emi and Matsushita Ryohei use waste from their island home, bean pods, seashells, and even animal bones, in their work. A deep respect for the island helps them convey its beauty.
Abashiri is known for drift ice. Local Glass artisan Gunji Noboru uses recycled fluorescent bulbs to make eco-friendly art inspired by the natural environment while striving to reduce his energy use.
Taoda Ayane does amazing things with milk cartons, transforming them into accessories, bags, and even clothing. The cartons are also strong and water-resistant, so her creations are practical, too.
Inagaki Ryota, who runs a stone carving business, and his partner, stone artisan Inoue Koji, use stone castoffs to make beautiful tableware that also helps keep food at the optimal temperature.
Branches from trees culled to thin the forest, once of no value, are the ideal material for Ishibashi Tetsushi. Extracting the essential oils, he transforms them into forest fragrances and hand soaps.
If even slightly damaged, yacht sails can no longer be used. Inspired by her love of the sport, former pro yacht racer Tagami Amiko takes such sails and makes them into bags and other products.
Uda Etsuko turns fiber from hard-to-process waste pineapple leaves into yarn and fabric for textiles in Okinawa. Expanding her operation to Indonesia, she hopes to take this untapped resource global.
Forester Omura Daisuke transforms harmful overgrown bamboo in the mountains of Japan into distinctive lights. Instead of seeing it as a nuisance he seeks ways for bamboo and humans to coexist.
