Shellmine Kids 餐具套裝 by Yohei Murai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award 銅獎 in 嬰兒產品設計 Competition Category.

銅嬰兒產品· 2025

Shellmine Kids 餐具套裝

by Yohei Murai

Client: Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts

A' Design Award 銅獎 Winner in 嬰兒產品 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Shellmine Kids 餐具套裝

Shellmine Kids係專為嬰幼兒設計嘅一套餐具，套裝包括蛋形碟、小雞碟、杯同兩隻碗。材料當中有百分之五十七係用蛋殼製成，而小雞圖案令蛋殼樹脂混合咗白色同啡色嘅天然色澤喺店內展示出嚟，格外顯眼。厚實嘅底座降低咗重心，加上凹凸起伏嘅外表面增加咗防滑抓握力，令餐具唔容易跌落地。可拆卸嘅小雞碟同簡約嘅造型設計，仲令呢套餐具喺小朋友長大之後都可以繼續俾成年人使用，延長咗成套產品嘅使用壽命。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銅獎

Shellmine Kids 餐具套裝是 A' Design Award 銅獎得主，這是授予以創造力、獨創性和敏銳見長的傑出設計的極具聲望的認可。銅獎得主是技藝嫻熟、創意驚人的作品，印證了其設計師豐富的經驗、想像力與機智。預計Shellmine Kids 餐具套裝將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的物品，兼具顯著的專業性與創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銅獎的設計融入藝術、科學、設計和技術領域的最佳實踐，並因注重細節而出類拔萃。Shellmine Kids 餐具套裝出色地滿足需求，觸動渴望，迷住情感，並吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Most biomass resin tableware on the market does not look like it is made of biomass resin at first glance. Because they look like conventional products, it is difficult to get people to buy them at a high price. Therefore, by using a chick as the design motif, the raw material, eggshell resin, is made visible, exposing the coloring, which is a mixture of white and brown eggshells. By doing so, we created an opportunity for people to understand what the material is at the storefront. In other words, it is a design that asks people to make a choice about the future global environment.
Dimensions & Packaging: Egg Plate W230mm D230mm H24mm 380g, Chick Plate W240mm D180mm H22mm 274g, Cup W81mm D81mm H87mm 140g, Small Bowl W96mm D96mm H43mm 110g, Medium Bowl W107mm D107mm H50mm 164g
Tags: SDGs, Kids Design, Eggshell Plastic, Biomass Plastic, Environmental Problem
Production Technology: 57% of the material is made from eggshells and has acquired the Japanese Biomass Mark 55.
This product can contribute to a recycling-oriented society by turning discarded eggshells into something attractive.
The specific gravity of the material is almost the same as that of ceramics, and it combines the crack resistance of resin with the robustness of ceramics.
Tableware made of this material, for which a manufacturing process was patented in Japan, can reduce CO2 emissions by 37% and petroleum-derived components by 44% compared to conventional resin tableware.
Design Challenge: We decided to make children's tableware because it sells for a higher price than usual as a gift and therefore biomass resin can be used. Through this product, we can also convey the importance of environmental problems from parents to their children. Education is essential to raising environmental awareness. However, we faced a problem here. Children's tableware is often thrown away as they grow up. Therefore, to extend the life of the product, we made the chicken dish removable and designed a shape that is easy for anyone to hold, thereby creating a product that can be used even as an adult.
Research: Based on a survey of more than 120 parents with children, Shellmine Kids was designed to have a shape that is easy to hold and functions that are easy to use. The most common request from mothers was for a shape that is easy to wash and can fit in a dishwasher. Based on the results, we filled in the grooves that should have been on the back of the chick dish to make it easier to wash. Such ideas are usually not good for the environment because they increase the amount of resin used. However, since this product is made from 57% eggshells, the environmental impact of adopting such an idea is minimal.
Inspiration: This project was commissioned by a Japanese commercial tableware manufacturer to design a set of children's tableware using eggshell plastic. Fukui Craft is the company that introduced plastic tableware to Japan and boasts the largest sales volume. However, environmental problems caused by plastics are becoming more serious worldwide, and the company has developed a biomass resin using eggshells. Biomass resin is an ideal material with low environmental impact, but its high cost makes it more expensive than products made from conventional resin. Especially in the plastic tableware market, where it tends to be chosen because it is cheaper than other materials, it is extremely difficult for tableware made from biomass resin to win the price war. In response to this major problem, we thought about how we could help people choose environmentally friendly products.
Project Duration: The project started in August 2022 and finished in July 2023, and was exhibited in GOOD DESIGN EXHIBITION 2023 in October 2023 etc.
Operation Flow: The main target of this tableware is infants. The risk of children dropping dishes or cups while eating was reduced by the following methods. By making the bottom of the tableware thicker, we have controlled the center of gravity, which made it harder to fall over. The specific gravity of this material is about the same as that of ceramics, so it can add weight with a small thickness. By undulating the outer surface, it gets caught in your hand when you hold it, which makes it difficult to drop. By helping children eat easily, we support children's desire to eat by themselves.
Image Credits: [ Main image: Photographer Naoki Tatori, shellmine, 2023. ][ Image#1: Photographer Naoki Tatori, Shellmine, 2023. ][ Image#2: Photographer Naoki Tatori, Model: Yuzuha Oka, Shellmine, 2023. ][ Image#3: Photographer Naoki Tatori, Model: Ame Murai, Shellmine, 2023.][Image#4: Photographer Naoki Tatori, Shellmine, 2023.]