KOROR, Palau - A Japanese-led glassware brand using discarded bottles has become one of Palau's signature local products, winning over environmentally conscious tourists to the Pacific island nation.
What began as an effort to put waste glass to good use has grown into a successful venture in just over a decade, producing everything from earrings to elaborate ornaments inspired by the country's marine life.
Inside a sweltering workshop in Koror, Palau's largest city, furnaces glow red-hot as artisans work with molten glass.
During a recent visit, French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson tried his hand at glassblowing under the watchful eye of 82-year-old Japanese recycling expert Katsuo Fuji.
Blowing through a metal pipe, Brotherson shaped the molten glass into a cup before smiling and declaring, "Perfect, right?"
Waste disposal is a common challenge for small island nations, and Palau's success in turning discarded glass into a tourism asset has attracted interest from elsewhere in the Pacific.
Numerous dignitaries visited the workshop during the Pacific Islands Forum summit, attended by leaders from the grouping of 18 countries and territories in August and September.
"When I first arrived, there wasn't even a concept of recycling," recalled Fuji, who previously worked in Japan's recycling industry.
He came to Palau in 2004 as a senior volunteer with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and became so committed to his work that he stayed on as a consultant to the state government after his assignment ended.
Although recycling glass was hardly a new idea, Fuji believed the environmental benefits of turning discarded bottles into handicrafts would appeal to visitors drawn to Palau's natural beauty.
"I was confident it would strike a chord with people who come here for the nature," he said.
Around 2015, he joined forces with the country's tourism authorities to launch the Belau Eco Glass brand.
Today, artisans at the workshop produce a wide range of souvenirs, with manta rays and coral designs among the best sellers. Prices range from tens of dollars for small accessories such as earrings to more than $1,000 for decorative pieces.
JICA continues to support the initiative by dispatching Japanese glass artists to train local artisans.
Kyoko Hirako, 39, a glass artist and part-time lecturer at Nagoya University of the Arts, spent August and September working with them.
"It's rewarding because they're so enthusiastic about what they do," she said.
Fuji says the improvements in craftsmanship have been striking.
"The quality has clearly improved," he said. "We no longer have to sell them on the fact that they're made from recycled glass. They're good enough to stand on their own as works of craftsmanship."
