Exhibitor’s Stories

Popularizing grass plant ware: an alternative to plastic ware

The use and abuse of disposable plastic ware have become a major environmental concern. The quest for alternatives motivated many designers, engineers, material scientists, and even consumers to experiment with different materials to cater to our everyday needs. WASARA, a series of tableware made of biodegradable virgin reed fibres, bamboo pulp, and waste sugarcane fibres, is an eco-friendly solution that is also pleasing to the eye. Building on Japan’s long and rich tableware handicraft tradition, WASARA ware features elegant geometric shapes, rounded or folded corners, minimalist aesthetics, as well as overall fluidity. As such, they differentiate clearly from other industrial-looking single-use tableware. The team at WASARA Co., Ltd. and Simplicity Co., Ltd., founded and led by Shinichiro Ogata, who developed his own tea, confectionery and dining establishments across Japan, created WASARA ware while referencing Japanese sensibility to appeal to a growing number of global and environmentally conscious consumers.