Heliograf has developed Holy Carp!, a plastic-free soy sauce dropper made from natural, renewable sugar cane pulp. The company says the product decomposes in a few weeks in home compost or organics bins, leaving nutrients for the soil, and complies with single-use plastic bans.
Australia is taking steps to phase out plastic soy sauce fish containers, with South Australia the first state to ban the small single-use items, with businesses encouraged to use bulk or refillable dispensers, sachets, squeezable packs, or certified compostable containers.
The Holy Carp! dropper is spill and leak resistant, holding soy sauce for more than 48 hours. An optional compostable sticker provides extra sealing protection. Holy Carp! claims to contain no PLA, PFAS or other plastics.
According to Heliograf, the company collaborated with sushi restaurants and designers Vert Design to create this practical alternative to single-use soy sauce fish. Each dropper holds up to 12ml of sauce, with internal fill lines indicating a half or full serve. The product is filled fresh at stores to allow the use of more sustainable materials and fresher sauce.
The company says tiny plastic soy fish persist in the environment for centuries, harming marine life and contributing microplastics to the food chain. Since 2020, Heliograf has promoted awareness of single-use plastic and funded the cleanup of more than 32 tonnes of plastic through its Light Soy lamp project. In 2020, the company won a Gold Good Design Award for its Light Soy Portable lamp made from recycled ocean-bound plastic, in the Product Design: Furniture and Lighting category for outstanding design and innovation.
Heliograf is an award-winning collaboration between Angus Ware and Jeffrey Simpson, based in Sydney. The company has been featured in The New Yorker, Dezeen, Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, and The Australian Financial Review.
