Aoyama Shoji announced that it will launch a women's belt made with rice-derived synthetic leather. Non-food rice, including broken rice and government stockpiled rice, will be used as a material.
On the 16th, Aoyama Shoji announced that it will launch a belt made with rice-derived synthetic leather. Approximately 30% of the resin consists of rice and other plant-derived ingredients, proposing a new use for non-food rice as part of the company's environmental initiatives. The belt is designed for women and uses a pinless construction with no belt holes, allowing for fine size adjustments.
The non-food rice includes a blend of rice broken during milling and some of the rice stockpiled by the government for use in disasters. In Japan, much of the non-food rice is reused as animal feed, but this product aims to provide it with a new use.
The belt is approximately 105 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, and is available in black and off-white. It will be sold at YOFUKU NO AOYAMA stores and the e-commerce site for ¥4,389.
The company may consider developing other products using similarly recycled rice and expanding its use of eco-friendly materials, but the article provides no specific follow-up or timing.
Aoyama Shoji positions this initiative as part of its environmental efforts and suggests creating new uses for non-food rice.