Presenting "SHELLMET" Japan's First, Eco-friendly Helmet Made from Wasted Scallop Shells
OSAKA, Japan, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Koushi Chemical Industry (Osaka, Osaka; Representative Director: Akika Nambara; hereinafter referred to as "our company") and Sarufutsu Village (Hokkaido; Mayor: Kouichi Ito; hereinafter referred to as "Sarufutsu Village") present SHELLMET, the environmentally friendly helmet that is made by reusing scallop shells, a form of marine waste. In line with this announcement, pre-order sales of SHELLMET begins from 14 December 2022 through crowdfunding. Our company will utilize the ecoplastic manufacturing techniques that we have developed and work together with Sarufutsu Village, which aims to reduce the amount of plastic used, to further promote sustainable efforts by treating scallop shells as a valuable resource that serves as an alternative to plastic.
- On the other hand, the Soya district, where Sarufutsu Village is located, generates approximately 40,000 tons of shells as marine waste annually during the scallop processing produces.
- The project team started to develop the scallop shells as an important resource to support the village and began efforts to recycle the material.
- The original role of a shell is to protect itself from outside enemies, and since scallop fishing is a dangerous activity, the "SHELLMET" was born from the idea of making a helmet out of scallop shells to protect scallop fishermen.
- SHELLMET incorporates a special rib structure in its design that mimics the structure of scallop shells, which is part of the material used for helmet production.