Those Cute Soy Sauce Fish That Come With Your Sushi Are Now Sustainable Lamps

Sydney-based design studio Heliograf has come up with a lamp that you might find a bit… fishy.

Fittingly called Light Soy, the premium glass lamp resembles those plastic fish nestled alongside the wasabi and ginger in your sushi takeout. According to designers Angus Ware and Jeffrey Simpson, they were inspired to make the lamp after realizing that the soy sauce packets, cute as they are, are still single-use plastics.

“I grew up on the coast in Tasmania, so I am aware that, even in remote places like the Southern Ocean, plastic pollution is an ever-growing problem. I often find the little fish packets washed ashore, and they fascinate me,” Ware told Apartment Therapy. 

“After eating sushi one day we were shocked by how much plastic we had used—all of which would end up in landfills or the ocean and take hundreds of years to break down. We wanted to bring attention to the everyday designs that have huge consequences for the environment.”

They then spent the next three years developing a luxury product with a small footprint. Light Soy, the result of their effort, is available as a table lamp and a pendant light. Both are made from durable, recyclable materials and from modular components that are easy to repair or replace. The packaging is also plastic-free, crafted from biodegradable molded sugarcane.

“We thought: ‘Can we raise awareness of this problem by creating something beautiful, something that brings joy? And can we do it in a way that sets a good example?’” added Ware. “The hope is Light Soy acts as a positive, gentle reminder to think about our impact and how we can all do better.”

As part of their commitment to making a positive impact, the studio is also donating a portion of profits. Ware explained: “Through 1% for the Planet we are forming meaningful, impactful partnerships with nonprofits that focus on marine conservation and plastic pollution. It means that 1% of every sale we make goes to education, research, conservation and cleanups.”

The Light Soy Table Lamp and the Light Soy Pendant Light each cost $590AUD (approximately $370 USD). You can learn more here.