obi | Obi to exhibit upcycled furniture at EXPO 2025 Osaka/Kansai Expo

June 25, 2025

[EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai World Expo]

Upcycled furniture "obi" exhibited

Future Lifestyle ~Smart Room~

As a space where visitors could get a feel for the lifestyle of the future society, we brought together products that may be implemented in a future where the SDGs have been achieved, and set up a booth where visitors could imagine and experience the "lifestyle of the future." We exhibited rerer's upcycled furniture project, obi , for a limited time from June 10th to 16th, 2025.

Exhibition overview

obi | What is obi?

Giving new value to discarded seat belts.
As part of rerer's upcycling project, this collapsible STOOL is made from discarded car seat belts and 100% plantation Latvian white birch plywood.

With many new cars manufactured and sold every year, approximately 3.5 million cars are disposed of in Japan annually. The recycling rate of Japanese cars is said to be in the upper 90% range, and while the technology is excellent, airbags and seat belts are very sturdy and have a special construction, making them difficult and time-consuming to reuse. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of them are disposed of.
Obi is a stool made from recycled seat belts, which are particularly difficult to use on their own, and 100% Latvian white birch plywood made from planted trees. It has a simple structure that does not use any nails or metal fittings.

Planted trees: Planting trees on land that has been logged primarily for the purpose of timber production. Appropriate care such as weeding and thinning contributes to forest conservation and environmental conservation.

White birch plywood: Three times stronger than general structural plywood and has excellent water resistance.

The seat is made from an upcycled seat belt, and the name "obi" comes from the fact that the three taut belts (obi) match the shape of the kanji character for "obi" (belt).

With the cooperation of woodworker Hisashi Kaku and contemporary craftsman Gucci Mizuguchi, we have created a wonderful upcycled stool that fits in well with both interior and outdoor environments.

Product Specifications: Body material: Seat belt (100% polyester *upcycled material), Latvian white birch

Manufacturer: EST Co., Ltd.
Design: Hisashi Kaku (woodworker)
Support: Mizuguchi Gucci (contemporary craftsman)

2025 Osaka Kansai Expo Exhibition Introduction

Obi has a simple, streamlined structure.

To allow visitors to experience a minimalist and eco-friendly lifestyle, we displayed tote bags that can be carried when disassembled, along with discarded seat belts before they are upcycled, creating a layout that allows visitors to feel closer to the SDGs.