The Shellmet (HOTAMET in Japan) is a helmet developed in collaboration with Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., and the Hokkaido village of Sarufutsu.
While Sarufutsu has been crowned multiple times as Japan's top producer of scallops, the region of Soya where the village is located faces significant social challenges. The region generates approximately 40,000 tons of scallop shells as waste each year, leading to concerns about environmental impact and the availability of disposal sites.
To address the problem of surplus scallop shells, Koushi Chemical Industry and TBWA\HAKUHODO focused on the fact that the main ingredient of scallop shells is calcium carbonate, then worked to develop a way to reuse these shells as other materials. They developed an eco-friendly plastic called Shellstic (Karastic in Japan) made from discarded scallop shells and refuse plastic.
In addition to emitting less CO2 for production than new plastics or limestone-derived eco-plastics, the material is also stronger because it mimics the structure of scallop shells.
The product won a total of three awards at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2023 for its low environmental impact and sustainability from material development to design.
