■ Challenge Content (Product)
Koshi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. will provide “HOTABENCH”, a sustainable bench made from discarded scallop shells. In Japan, more than 200,000 tons of scallop shells are disposed of annually, with only part of the shells being used.
Through waste recycling technology, we have developed “SHELLTEC,” a new eco-friendly material made from waste shells. An eco-friendly bench is produced by mixing waste shells and concrete. Through the texture created by recycling and the scallop-like silhouette, we propose a new future of recyclable resources to people who see and sit on it.

■ Challenge Content (Experience Planning)
We will conduct educational tours where you can learn about the manufacturing process of “HOTABENCH” and experience part of it.
At Koshi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., you can experience the production of “SHELLTEC,” the main raw material, and manufacturing using mass-produced machines. At Shimizu Construction Co., Ltd., you can experience an introduction to printing technology and part of the manufacturing process.
In addition, a tour of “HOTABENCH” will be held in a park in Sarufutsu-mura, Hokkaido.

*This project is part of the Co-Design Challenge Program.

■ Social issues that we want to solve
Approximately 50 billion tons of sand are consumed annually in concrete production worldwide, and the global shortage of sand has become a serious issue in recent years.
To address this problem, we aim to use discarded scallop shells as a substitute material for sand to solve both the problem of sand shortage and waste.

■ What is the Co-Design Challenge Program?
This project takes Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan as an opportunity to rethink various aspects of Japan’s future lifestyles and realize new things at the Expo by co-creating with various players.
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Koushi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.  (Representative company/organization)
SHIMIZU CORPORATION