The One Show
The One Show is the world's most prestigious award show in advertising and design. For over 50 years, the Gold Pencil has been regarded as one of the top prizes in the creative industry. The One Show has a rich legacy of honoring some of the most groundbreaking ideas, created by some of the most remarkable minds in creativity.
Learn more about The One Show 2026
SHELLMET
Agency TBWA\HAKUHODO Inc. / Tokyo + quantum Inc. / Tokyo + ROBOT COMMUNICATIONS INC. / Tokyo + KMCgroup / Tokyo
Category
Creative Effectiveness / CSR
Annual ID
OS24_CE012B
About the Work
Background:
Although Scallops are the most commonly eaten shellfish in Japan, they are also the most discarded shellfish. Hokkaido's Sarufutsu Village is home to the largest scallop catch in the country. In 2021, exporters discarded approximately 40,000 tons of shells on the shoreline.
Experts point out not only the challenge of securing a place to deposit shells, but also an environmental preservation issue as piles of shells omit a foul odor, and cause groundwater contamination from heavy metals contained in the remains.
We aimed to transform discarded shells into a new resource to empower the community.
Cultural context:
Sarufutsu Village is renowned for its scallops, which are vital to the local industry where about 270 fishermen work fervently.
However, they were concerned about pollution from scallop shell waste. This led to the idea of creating a sustainable system to repurpose the discarded shells.
Idea:
SHELLMET, the world's first helmet made from scallop shells.
"Shells have protected themselves from external enemies and are now protecting human lives."
SHELLMET is made of 100% recycled materials from crushed discarded shells, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 36% compared to plastic. The application of natural structures to technological development is called "Biomimicry". SHELLMET is based on this concept and incorporates a ribbed structure unique to shells. As a result, it succeeded in yielding 133% strength compared to a regular helmet. The SHELLMET offers five sea-inspired colors. Unlike pricier sustainable options, it's priced at 32USD, the same as other Japanese helmets, and available online for anyone.
We aim to create a sustainable society by recycling SHELLMETs, crushing and reusing them for new materials once their intended use is complete.
*Japanese name: HOTAMET
Although Scallops are the most commonly eaten shellfish in Japan, they are also the most discarded shellfish. Hokkaido's Sarufutsu Village is home to the largest scallop catch in the country. In 2021, exporters discarded approximately 40,000 tons of shells on the shoreline.
Experts point out not only the challenge of securing a place to deposit shells, but also an environmental preservation issue as piles of shells omit a foul odor, and cause groundwater contamination from heavy metals contained in the remains.
We aimed to transform discarded shells into a new resource to empower the community.
Cultural context:
Sarufutsu Village is renowned for its scallops, which are vital to the local industry where about 270 fishermen work fervently.
However, they were concerned about pollution from scallop shell waste. This led to the idea of creating a sustainable system to repurpose the discarded shells.
Idea:
SHELLMET, the world's first helmet made from scallop shells.
"Shells have protected themselves from external enemies and are now protecting human lives."
SHELLMET is made of 100% recycled materials from crushed discarded shells, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 36% compared to plastic. The application of natural structures to technological development is called "Biomimicry". SHELLMET is based on this concept and incorporates a ribbed structure unique to shells. As a result, it succeeded in yielding 133% strength compared to a regular helmet. The SHELLMET offers five sea-inspired colors. Unlike pricier sustainable options, it's priced at 32USD, the same as other Japanese helmets, and available online for anyone.
We aim to create a sustainable society by recycling SHELLMETs, crushing and reusing them for new materials once their intended use is complete.
*Japanese name: HOTAMET
2024 Awards
Total Points: 9
Bronze Pencil
Credits
Agency
TBWA\HAKUHODO Inc. / TOKYO
PR / Marketing Agency
KMCgroup / Tokyo
Production Company
Robot Communications Inc. / Tokyo
Art Director
Takeshi Matsuda
Chief Creative Officer
Takahiro Hosoda
Creative Director
Masatoshi Usami
Designer
Hajime Sunada
Hisahiro Tomonaga
Director
Kohei Inoue
Editor
Nobuo Mita
Motion Designer
Kiyotaka Sumiyoshi
Photographer
Junya Taguchi
Producer
Yuki Sakamoto
Product Designer
Shintaro Monden
Senior Art Director
Yuhei Ito
3D Engineer
Minatsu Takekoshi
Business Producer
Takayuki Kashiwazaki
Head of Digital
Yoshiki Okayasu
PR Planner
Kyosuke Hashimoto
Suguru Kato
Promoter
Eri Sato
Takashi Hamada
Retoucher
Takumu Koshiba
Senior Business Director
Hiroaki Wada
Startup Studio
quantum Inc. / Tokyo
Transcreator
Eric Ellefsen
Jonathan Genki Fujimura
Joel Challender
Related Awards
