Instead of disposable products, we chose reusable furoshiki.
The Wild Bird Society of Japan offers a “Donation with Gift” program, where donors receive original items as a token of appreciation for supporting wildlife conservation activities.
This summer, an organic furoshiki created in collaboration with Musubi—“Protecting Seabirds Organic Furoshiki”—has been added to the gift lineup.
Customer Voices
Wild Bird Society of Japan | Mr. Tsukada
What is the “Protect Seabirds from Plastic Pollution” Project?
The Japan Wild Bird Society is working to protect seabirds from marine plastic waste.
To raise awareness of the marine plastic pollution issue and our conservation efforts, we have created a special gift featuring the “STOP! PLASTIC OCEAN” logo, originally illustrated by popular picture book author Yasumasa Murakami.
To address the problem of marine plastic waste, it is essential for each of us to reconsider our disposable, single-use lifestyles.
With this in mind, we chose reusable furoshiki, which stand in contrast to disposable products, as the gift item.
The design places the logo at the center, with seven Ancient Murrelets—symbolizing the Izu Seven Islands—swimming through a rich and abundant sea in the background.
Learn more about our efforts>>> https://lp.wbsj.org/plastic-problem/
We chose eco-friendly organic cotton as the material.
This was our organization’s first time planning a furoshiki project, so we started from scratch in searching for the right production partner.
We looked for a company that actively embraces the SDGs and produces original furoshiki using organic cotton certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard). Early in our search, Musubi emerged as a strong candidate.
After visiting their Tokyo store and seeing the furoshiki in person, we were impressed by the beautiful colors and high quality. We felt confident that these were items our supporters would want to use again and again, and decided to move forward with Musubi as our partner.
With a history spanning over 1,300 years, furoshiki culture is a wonderful everyday tool filled with the wisdom of Japanese life.
When the sample arrived, we were truly impressed by its vivid colors.
With the image of a beautiful, trash-free ocean in mind, we boldly chose turquoise blue as the main color. We were initially concerned that it might be too striking, but when we unfolded the sample, the vibrant color felt as though the ocean was spreading out before our eyes—it was genuinely moving.
We also made a rather challenging request for the waves to be rendered in “a barely visible shade of gray,” and this was expressed with exquisite balance. In addition, we decided on a small luxury: adding an orange color solely for the beak of our organization’s B-mark. This touch became a perfect accent against the blue furoshiki.
We have already received donations from supporters who applied for the “donation with gift” program, including some who requested as many as 20 furoshiki.
We are deeply grateful that many donors chose the furoshiki as their gift. We have also received warm feedback on social media, such as “It feels great to the touch” and “It looks easy to use.”
In addition, many supporters chose to donate for multiple pieces. The highest number requested by a single person was 20 furoshiki, which suggests that furoshiki are well suited not only for personal use but also as gifts or for sharing with others.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported us.
Voice from the Person in Charge
Yamadani Seni Co., Ltd.| Mrs.Kawashiro, Sales
Here Are 3 Ways to Enjoy Using It
With the theme of environmental conservation, we had the opportunity to produce furoshiki made from organic cotton for this project.
The logo illustrated by the picture book artist is charming, resulting in a design that feels appealing and easy to use for people of all ages and genders.
At Musubi, we believe that our role goes beyond simply manufacturing furoshiki. With the hope that people will truly enjoy using them, we also shared ideas on how they can be used in daily life—for example, explaining that the 50cm size can be used as a pouch, bandana, or camera cover.
Mr. Tsukada showed great interest, commenting, “I didn’t know it could be used as a pouch as well!”
Inspired by this, their team created and shared a short video in-house, which has since been posted on social media.
Many people who care deeply about wild birds also enjoy photography and other outdoor activities.
We would be delighted if, during group tours or outdoor gatherings, participants could wear matching furoshiki together—it would truly make us happy to see them being used in this way.
Thank you very much for sharing your valuable feedback with us.
Learn more about our original custom-made furoshiki
Client: Wild Bird Society of Japan
Organization Type: Nature Conservation Organization
Size: Approx. 48cm
Material: 100% Organic Cotton
Purpose: As a thank-you gift for donations supporting nature conservation activities.
Website: https://www.wbsj.org/