Fish-Shaped Soy Sauce Droppers Are Wrecking the Planet – Except This One

Last month, South Australia became the first Australian state to ban soy fish – those little plastic droppers of soy sauce served at pretty much every sushi shop in the country. I’m personally liable for at least two every time I order a handroll. But even if I only use one and “save” the other for next time, it doesn’t change the fact they all end up in the bin eventually.

Angus Ware and Jeffrey Simpson of Sydney design studio Heliograf have been grappling with “how ironic and crazy that something shaped like a fish would be used for a few seconds, chucked on the ground, washed into the ocean and cause a bunch of harm,” Ware tells Broadsheet.

“They basically never break down. If they do, they break into microplastics that enter our food supply, potentially in the sushi we eat.”

It’s what led Heliograf to design this very cute, award-winning soy sauce lamp made with 75 per cent ocean-bound plastic (every lamp shipped funds a cleanup of around two kilograms of plastic via Seven Clean Seas).

Now Ware and Simpson are going even further with what they’re calling the first plastic-free, home-compostable soy dropper. Holy Carp is made from the bagasse pulp – the same plant-based material Heliograf uses to package its lamps. “We realised with some clever design, we could make it into a viable alternative,” says Ware.

“It’s basically the material leftover after sugar cane is turned into sugar. Naturally it’s got a bit of water resistance. You can form it into a lot of shapes.”

The idea is that businesses supply their own soy sauce and pre-fill containers, or diners can pour and fill for themselves. And once composted, the container will actually add nutrients to your soil.

But Ware says if you can avoid using one altogether, that’s the ideal outcome. “This is for those moments where you’re on the go and you need something that’s not going to kick around in the environment for 100 years.”

As well as helping to eliminate single-use plastic, Holy Carp is designed to eliminate bad soy sauce. “The soy sauce in those little [plastic] fish is pretty bad quality. Often it’s been sitting in the container for 12 months to two years.”

Ware says the team is still consulting with restaurants to finalise the design before it starts distribution next year. Businesses can register their interest now.

Heliograf.com