12 billion plastic sushi fish later, is it time for a sustainable soy sauce option?

In Australia, the convenience of takeaway sushi often comes at a steep environmental cost, a reality designer Angus Ware has brought into sharp focus. Ware, observing the sheer volume of single-use plastic accompanying his regular sushi orders, identified the iconic plastic soy sauce fish, or 'shoyu-tai,' as a major contributor to the plastic pollution plaguing our streets, waterways, and beaches. The irony of these fish-shaped containers, designed to hold a condiment, becoming litter themselves is not lost on him, especially as they re-enter our food chain through marine life.

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They'd have a little bit of plastic grass; they'd have chopsticks, often in a plastic sachet. They'd have ginger in a sachet, wasabi in a sachet. And then of course, the little fish, which is a bottle and a cap that then separate.

Ware's concern extends beyond just the soy sauce fish. He highlights the broader issue of plastic sachets for ginger and wasabi, estimating a staggering global consumption of up to a trillion per year. This addiction to small, single-use plastics presents a formidable challenge, particularly as recycling efforts for these items are often commercially unviable due to cleaning difficulties and the small size of the items. The problem is compounded by the fact that much of this plastic ends up in the ocean, creating a cyclical environmental crisis.

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[They're] really easy to drop and … you would see them everywhere. In inner Sydney … there's a layer of single-use plastic that lines all of our streets and waterways and beaches.

Responding to this pressing issue, Ware, along with business partner Jeffrey Simpson and the design studio Vert Design, has developed 'Holy Carp!'. This innovative, reusable, and compostable soy sauce container offers a tangible solution to the problem of shoyu-tai waste. As Australia, like many nations, implements bans on single-use plastics, initiatives like 'Holy Carp!' are crucial. They not only provide functional alternatives but also encourage a shift in consumer behavior, moving away from a disposable culture towards more sustainable practices. This local Australian innovation directly tackles a global environmental concern, demonstrating how design can play a vital role in addressing the plastic crisis.

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It's this natural thing that we're then chucking aside after a few seconds.