Aqua Clara and the design lab HONOKA, participating from Japan, today presented and exhibited their project, TRACE OF WATER, at MILANO DESIGN WEEK 2025, which runs until Sunday, 13 April. This project specifically focuses on the potential of returnable bottles for water dispensers as a material, exploring and visualising their possibilities and applications. The project will be showcased as part of MoscaPartners Variations, a design exhibition curated around research and innovation.

With a deep-time perspective on the circulation of returnable bottles, the project presents insights and outcomes that not only envision the next stage but also propel possibilities even further into the future. By sharing these considerations with creators and business leaders gathering in Milan from around the world, we earnestly pursue the evolution of ideas and technology.

As a leading company in Japanʼs water dispenser market, Aqua Clara is constantly exploring innovative ways to rethink materials in pursuit of a sustainable future. With its 2030 sustainability goals in mind, the company has made it a core policy to properly recycle and repurpose returnable bottles that have reached the end of their lifespan, promoting an environmentally conscious circular design. Under Aqua Claraʼs careful management, water bottles have always been valued for their material integrity, serving as a source of potential for continuous evolution. Now, in collaboration with design lab HONOKA, the company i s launching a new initiative that takes upcycling to the next level ̶ offering a practical solution to transform retired water bottles into beautiful architectural materials.

Through research and experimentation, HONOKA discovered that the resin of bottles that had been in contact with water for long periods retains a significant amount of moisture. When heated, this moisture forms countless tiny bubbles within the material. In this phenomenon, the history of Aqua Claraʼs high-quality polycarbonate water bottles is revealed in a strikingly beautiful way, offering a perspective that had never been seen before. We defined this as TRACE OF WATER. Inspired by this discovery, we explored ways to incorporate these TRACE OF WATER into unique textures and designs. Through repeated experimentation and refinement, we transformed what was once discarded into something both beautiful and meaningful. By embracing the elegant hues of the water bottles and the moisture-absorbed properties of the resin, the project continues to create new value through the process of upcycling.

As a design lab focusing on sustainable materials, technology, and culture, HONOKA has engaged in continuous experimentation and verification, committing to the development of beautiful architectural materials that harness the unique properties of water bottles. By maximising the inherent rigidity and durability of polycarbonate, we explore its potential applications in architecture and spatial design. This process also incorporates the concept of traceability, ensuring that the journey of water bottles ̶how they are reused and the new roles they fulfil̶can be tracked.

This project also aspires to realise the ideal of making the allure of materials and techniques steeped in history and culture visible, ensuring their enduring value is carried into the future.Drawing on our extensive knowledge of materials and diverse processing methods cultivated over time, we focus on developing a new form of material design̶beautiful architectural materials that embody both aesthetic and functional excellence.

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