Spiber is pleased to announce the launch of a new community development project in collaboration with the city of Tsuruoka, home of Spiber’s Japan headquarters, through the Furusato Nozei (“Hometown Tax”) program. Through this initiative, Spiber will be offering 1,000 limited-edition children’s T-shirts to participants in Tsuruoka’s Furusato Nozei program. A press conference regarding this collaboration will be held on December 9 with Mayor of Tsuruoka City Osamu Minakawa.

Spiber developed an all-new exclusive lineup for this project, with acclaimed picture book artist Ryoji Arai providing original sketches for Spiber and Tsuruoka inspired by his upbringing in Yamagata (the prefecture where Tsuruoka is located) and by Spiber’s efforts to help revitalize this countryside region of Japan. Tax revenue collected through this program by Tsuruoka will be used for the development of improved child-oriented services and infrastructure within the local area.

Furusato Nozei is a unique Japanese system in which taxpayers can qualify for tax breaks by making donations to local municipalities of their choosing.

We believe that this project is noteworthy for several reasons. Firstly, Spiber developed a product exclusively for Tsuruoka to provide to Furusato Nozei participants as an incentive gift. This is in contrast to the majority of municipalities and companies which only provide products that already exist on the market. Spiber firmly believes that actively engaging in initiatives such as this—working together with the local community on regional development—is one approach to achieving our goal of contributing to sustainable human well-being.

The other noteworthy aspect is the material used in this product. Each of the 1,000 T-shirts provided to donors will be made from 90% organic cotton and 10% Brewed Protein™ fiber, spun in Japan from powder produced in Spiber’s Thailand plant. This project marks the first distribution of mass-produced Brewed Protein™ fibers since the plant began operating in 2021.

We believe this project represents a meaningful chance for us to share our philosophy with the world, while also delivering value and helping to design a more sustainable and circular society for future generations.

Press release can be found here (Japanese only).