Media Kit

Light Soy

Purpose

Light Soy is a premium glass lamp with a brilliant message about single-use plastic. The design is inspired by the iconic soy sauce packets shaped like fish found in sushi shops around the world.

Like other single-use plastics such as straws and coffee cups, the tiny packets can’t be re-used and are difficult to recycle. They are destined to clog landfills and trash the environment.

Designers Jeffrey Simpson and Angus Ware were inspired to create Light Soy after eating sushi and being shocked by how many of the disposable fish they had used. Both grew up by the coast and found it absurd that the plastic fish would harm marine life.

They set out to use the design to highlight the big problem with single-use plastic and the impact that design can have on people and the planet.

About the Packets

In Japan, the packets are called Shōyu tai (醤油鯛), meaning ‘soy sauce bream’ or ‘soy sauce snapper’. The tiny fish, made from polyethylene and designed to hold a single serve of soy sauce, were invented in the 1950s. Since then they have become ubiquitous in Japan and in sushi restaurants around the world.

Learn more about why these packets are so problematic and what we can do about it.