"Protecting the sea is protecting the future." – Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort exhibits upcycled works made 100% from waste plastic born from Karatsu's sea and daily life.

An upcycled work made of 100% Karatsu's marine plastic and household caps, displayed on the 1st floor of Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort (Accor, HQ: Paris, France), which overlooks Karatsu Castle and the nationally designated special scenic spot "Niji no Matsubara."

The NPO Karatsu Farm&Food has begun exhibiting works from its upcycle brand "Precious Plastic Karatsu" (whale keychains, coasters, flower pots), as well as penguin keychains from Hitachi Academy, on the 1st floor of the Accor brand hotel "Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort" (Saga Prefecture, Karatsu City).

All are works created through "upcycling," which adds new value to waste, using 100% waste plastic such as marine plastic washed ashore in Karatsu and PET bottle caps from households. Since the colors of the collected materials are never the same, the expression of the resulting works is also unique.

"Protecting the sea is protecting the future. Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort supports a sustainable future together with the local community." – Official message from the hotel on the 1st floor.

"Protecting the sea is protecting the future." – A message from the hotel's 1st floor Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort is a hotel adjacent to "Niji no Matsubara" (a black pine forest of about 1 million trees), one of Japan's three major pine groves and a nationally designated special scenic spot, overlooking the Genkai Sea and Karatsu Castle. The hotel's official SNS describes it as "a resort stay overlooking Karatsu Castle and Niji no Matsubara in Karatsu, where nature and history breathe."

At the exhibition on the 1st floor, the hotel's message reads: Protecting the sea is protecting the future. Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort supports a sustainable future together with the local community. Displaying the works of a local NPO in the hotel's souvenir corner is a clear statement of the hotel's choice.

The collaboration exhibition area on the 1st floor of Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort. Collaboration pop-ups, flower pots, coasters, bracelets, etc., are on display.

Exhibited Works The Whale Keychain: A signature piece inspired by the sea of Karatsu and the whaling culture of Yobuko. No two are the same color. Upcycled Coaster: A thick coaster with a characteristic colorful pattern. Flower Pot: Plastic reborn as a pot for growing plants. Penguin Keychain: A waste plastic upcycled product developed by Hitachi Academy. Details of the collaboration between the two will be announced at a later date.

Marine plastic washed ashore in Karatsu and PET bottle caps from daily life, which would otherwise have been discarded, are mixed together, creating a unique expression for each piece. This circular economy initiative, which generates no waste and circulates resources, is placed in a location visible to visitors on the hotel's front floor—that is the essence of this exhibition.

A workshop is also planned for this summer. Furthermore, the hotel plans to hold a workshop where guests can turn PET bottle caps generated within the hotel into upcycled works themselves. This attempt to incorporate local resource circulation into the accommodation experience, "caps from the hotel become souvenirs of the hotel," will be announced in detail once finalized.

Overview Exhibition Start: May 2026 (continuous exhibition) Location: Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort, 1st Floor (4-9-20 Higashi-Karatsu, Karatsu-shi, Saga-ken) Exhibited Works: Whale keychains, coasters, flower pots, penguin keychains (Hitachi Academy) Raw Materials: Marine plastic washed ashore in Karatsu + PET bottle caps from households (100% waste plastic)

Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort, adjacent to one of Japan's three major pine groves, "Niji no Matsubara." An Accor (HQ: Paris, France) brand hotel, located with a view of Karatsu Castle and the Genkai Sea. The lobby of Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort, with a ceiling painting inspired by the traditional Karatsu craft "Karatsu Hikiyama."

Collaboration Partner Introduction 🏨 Mercure Saga Karatsu Resort An Accor brand hotel overlooking Karatsu Castle and the nationally designated special scenic spot "Niji no Matsubara." It offers an "all-inclusive" stay style where meals and drinks are included in the accommodation fee. Location: 4-9-20 Higashi-Karatsu, Karatsu-shi, Saga-ken 847-0017 Official Website: https://mercure-sagakaratsu-resort.jp

🎓 Hitachi Academy Develops the penguin keychain displayed this time. Detailed collaboration content with Precious Plastic Karatsu will be announced at a later date.

About Precious Plastic Karatsu An upcycle brand based in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, operated by the NPO Karatsu Farm&Food. It crushes, melts, and molds PET bottle caps from households and plastic washed ashore on Karatsu's coast to create new works. It is based on "Precious Plastic," an open-source project from the Netherlands that implements "local circulation" of household plastic as a resource in various parts of the world. It is developing initiatives in education, tourism, and sports through ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) collaborations with Kaisei Junior High School, Yobuko Elementary School, and Karatsu Minami High School, as well as partnerships with KARAE SHOP, Hakata Daimaru Kyushu Tankentai, and BYD AUTO Saga x Saga Ballooners. Instagram: @preciousplastic_karatsu Official Website: https://karatsu-f-f.com

Organization Overview Name: NPO Karatsu Farm&Food Representative Director: Nozomi Hamaguchi Location: 3-7-22 Higashi-Karatsu, Karatsu-shi, Saga-ken 847-0017 Business Activities: Biodiversity conservation, environmental education (ESD), circular economy promotion, management of OECM (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures), Precious Plastic, beach cleaning, marine plastic reduction Official Website: https://karatsu-f-f.com Instagram: @preciousplastic_karatsu