Heliograf will launch the ‘world’s first’ home-compostable soy sauce fish, made from plant pulp and designed to comply with increasing bans on plastic soy sauce droppers.
Heliograf estimates that 8–12 billion soy fish have been used since the format was invented in the 1950s. These are thought to last for centuries, breaking down in the natural environment and leaching microplastics.
“The soy fish are cute and convenient, but while they serve their purpose for just a few minutes, they can persist in the environment for hundreds of years,” Heliograf’s website reads. “They’ve become a symbol of a wasteful, linear economy that’s harming both people and the planet.”
Instead of scrapping soy sauce droppers altogether, Heliograf has worked with Vert Design and several sushi restaurants to develop Holy Carp! – a fibre-based alternative designed to evoke the ‘same spark of joy’ as its plastic counterparts.
Holy Carp! is made from bagasse pulp, renewable sugarcane, and other plant fibres. It is said to be free from plastics, PLA, and PFAS.
The solution is intended to be filled fresh in-store; Heliograf says this approach allowed it to use a ‘more easily compostable’ material, all while keeping the soy fresher and giving stores the flexibility to select their own sauce.
The dropper is also larger than the standard plastic soy fish – each holds up to 12 ml of soy, with internal fill lines marking a half or full serve. This is hoped to prevent consumers from taking multiple plastic droppers home, instead giving them more portion control in one container.
Reportedly able to hold the sauce for up to 48 hours, the container claims to avoid spills and leaks. An optional, branded and compostable sticker is available to increase its safety.
At end-of-life, the pack is set to be placed in compost and decompose in 4-6 weeks in normal conditions. Composting certifications are currently pending.
Holy Carp! is set to align with South Australia’s upcoming ban on single-use soy fish, as well as any similar legislation in the pipeline.
“It’s a small change, but we truly believe every drop matters,” says Angus Ware, co-founder of Heliograf. “We wanted to show that we can still create moments of joy when being sustainable.”
Businesses interested in Holy Carp! are invited to enquire or register their interest here.
Packaging Europe’s brand director, Tim Sykes, previously dived deeper into South Australia’s plastic fish ban. He wondered whether the move had thoroughly considered viable alternatives to the format, whether it risked a surge in hard-to-recycle flexible plastic waste – and whether the problem with the droppers was never their material, but their size.
In other news, Futamura has collaborated with Repaq and GK Sondermaschinenbau to create a compostable sachet for cooking sauces, ketchup, mustard, and other liquids. Its barrier cellulose film layer and the biofilm used for hermetic seals are certified compostable in both home and industrial settings.
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