MADE IN FUKUSHIMA

TitleMADE IN FUKUSHIMA
BrandMETER GROUP
Product/ServiceENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Category B05. Use of Print / Outdoor
Entrant SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Munich, GERMANY
Idea Creation SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Munich, GERMANY
Idea Creation 2 UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO, JAPAN
Idea Creation 3 FUKUSHIMA SAISEI Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation 4 METER GROUP Pullman, USA
PR SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Munich, GERMANY
Production ALBERT COON Munich, GERMANY
Production 2 SAS - SHOOT IN JAPAN Tokyo, JAPAN
Production 3 NICK FRANK Munich, GERMANY
Additional Company MOBY DIGG Munich, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Alexander Schill SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Global Chief Creative Officer
Dr. Colin Campbell METER Group VP Environment
Christian Hertel METER Group VP Marketing
Scott Campbell METER Group CEO
Dr. Masaru Mizoguchi The University of Tokyo / Fukushima Saisei Head of Global Agricultural Sciences / Director
Yoichi Tao Fukushima Saisei President
Kirsten Ralph Marketing Manager METER Group
Julia Mumford METER Group Marketing Manager
Kersten Campbell METER Group Marketing
Franz Röppischer SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Creative Director
Lorenz Langgartner SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Creative Director
Saurabh Kakade SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Creative Producer
Eduardo Alvarez SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Art Director
Carolina Soto SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Junior Copywriter
Robert Kaminski SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Head of Print Production
Nick Frank Nick Frank Photographer
Gabriela Baka Moby Digg GmbH Lead Designer
Sebastian Haiss Moby Digg GmbH Information Designer
Ricardo Abbaszadeh Moby Digg GmbH Designer
Maximilian Heitsch Moby Digg GmbH Managing Director
Quentin Lichtblau Freelance Writer
Yuta Matthew Kato SAS - Shoot in Japan Producer
Rumi Tominaga Freelance Producer
Ivan Kovac Freelance Cinematographer
Johannes Maierbacher Albert Coon Producer
Andreas Wolf Albert Coon Director Of Photography

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

After the Fukushima disaster, more than 25,000 hectares of farmland were decontaminated. Environmental technology specialists developed a decontamination method that allows farmers to grow rice again. Science have proven the rice is safe, but not one buys it, because most people don’t understand the complex scientific data. To make the data understandable, we created Made in Fukushima - a book made out of rice straw from decontaminated fields in Fukushima. It helps people understand that our decontamination method works and the rice from Fukushima is safe, by turning the rice into the medium, and the data into understanding.

Background

On March 11, 2011, a tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, triggering the meltdown of the nuclear reactors. In the following days, wind and rain carried the radioactive material inland. More than 25,000 hectares of farmland, in what used to be one of Japan’s most important agricultural regions, were contaminated. Environmental technology specialists from METER, together with Dr. Masaru Mizoguchi from The University of Tokyo and the NPO Fukushima Saisei, have developed a sustainable decontamination method that allows farmers to grow perfectly safe rice again. The data proves that the rice is safe, but no one buys it, because people don’t understand scientific data.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Made in Fukushima is a book made out of rice straw from the decontaminated fields in Fukushima. It helps people understand that the decontamination method works and that the rice from Fukushima is safe, by turning the rice into the medium and the data into understanding. To tell the story, the book uses a wide range of resources: photography, interviews, reports, background information, data and its visualization.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The objective scientific data proves that the rice is safe, but not one buys products from Fukushima because most people don’t understand the complex data. Consequently, the strategy was to turn this complex scientific data into understanding, by making it tangible. As a leading scientific sensor company present in Fukushima since 1996, METER already had access to a lot of environmental and agricultural data, which was incorporated into the book. Through months of research, more data on science, demographics, economy and ecology from various sources were added. During visits in Fukushima, radiation data was measured which also became part of the book. The data was turned into understanding and tangible proof: By creating a book full of digestible information and data visualization, made out of the rice straw grown on decontaminated fields in Fukushima. The rice straw was harvested, dried, cleaned, cut and crafted into paper.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Each book contains 296 pages, made out of the rice straw grown on decontaminated fields in Fukushima. The rice straw was harvested, dried, cleaned, cut and crafted into paper. Paper experts worked together to produce unique paper that contains a visible part of rice straw without distracting from the content. The book tells the story of the region, the disaster and the decontamination, the farmers and their products. It relies on a wide range of resources: photography, historical images, interviews, reports, poetry, scientific papers, but most importantly: data, visualized through different techniques. From the cover to infographics, and even the Japanese binding inside pages of pages with photography, which were used to show the radiation at the locations the photos were taken. All in a distinctive and coherent aesthetic that combines traditional Japanese with modern design. Some visualizations and all inside pages were designed with data through processing.

List the results (30% of vote)

More than two years in the making, Made in Fukushima was published in 2019 with a first edition of 1000 copies. Books were sent to decision makers in the environment and food industries to which METER has access through their other products. From this and PR, many conversations and millions of contacts were created – as well as new business: The price of Fukushima rice is on the rise, and the sustainable decontamination method is being used by more farmers and organizations in Fukushima and beyond.