Gentle on children and on the earth. iiwan, tableware for children made from plant-based plastic.

Children's tableware is often chosen as a birth gift, meant to be used from the start of weaning. Just as with the tableware you'd choose for your own child or grandchild, when it comes to gifts for a loved one's children, many of us want to choose something safe and reassuring. What we're introducing today is tableware that's carefully considered from the choice of raw materials onward, and that's easy for both children and adults to use. "Just as we choose safe ingredients for food, tableware that touches a small child's mouth should also be something we can use with peace of mind." That's the thought behind this maker's work, given form.

The raw material is corn!?

Just as with adult tableware, children's tableware comes in a variety of materials, including wood and ceramic. But when you consider that a child might suddenly drop it on the floor, or think about washing dishes every day, plastic—light and hard to break—may be one of the most practical materials, especially for babies and parents who are still getting used to the early days of weaning.

On the other hand, especially in the early years, children often end up biting on their bowls and cutlery, and at moments like that, you might suddenly wonder: what exactly is this tableware made of? Of all the materials out there, plastic may well be the one we understand least.

Plastic is usually made using "naphtha," refined by heating crude oil, but iiwan's tableware is plant-based—made from corn. That doesn't mean the corn itself is simply crushed and used; rather, lactic acid is added to the starch contained in corn, and through a chemical process of lactic acid fermentation, a material called polylactic acid resin (PLA) is produced and used at 100%. Because PLA doesn't require additives (such as BPA or BPS) during manufacturing, it's a plastic made entirely from plant-derived components, free of harmful substances.

This is the raw material PLA. It's said that 5g of corn kernels yields 2g of PLA.

PLA's main component is "lactic acid," and since lactic acid is found abundantly in the human body and in food, it's a material that poses no harm to people. What's more, iiwan rigorously tests the corn material it uses to ensure it doesn't contain any substances harmful to health from genetic modification, giving maximum consideration to safety.

PLA is also made from plants that grow by absorbing water and carbon dioxide, and unlike petroleum-based plastics, it produces less carbon dioxide during production. Since it can be broken down by burying it in soil after use, it's said to be a material that's gentle on the earth as well.

The secret to its smooth finish lies in handwork

Adjusting the mold for a rice bowl (a mold made in-house)

Plastic products tend to bring to mind an image of items being churned out one after another by machine, but iiwan's tableware involves the hand of a craftsperson.

Plastic products made by pouring resin into a mold inevitably face certain constraints in form, and finished pieces can sometimes have sharp edges—an unavoidable part of the manufacturing process. But at iiwan, each finished piece is checked individually, and any part that a child might touch is rounded off entirely by hand. This is how the smooth texture and safe, gentle shapes come to be.

Colors derived from natural minerals

These are the four colors we've prepared this time.

These soft, gentle colors come from natural minerals. While petroleum-based dyes and paints are typically used for coloring, iiwan's tableware insists on natural coloring agents as well. Beautifully colored material is further mixed with more raw material and diluted, adjusted until it reaches just the right gentle shade. Because the material itself is colored before processing, there's no need to worry about the color chipping off like paint, even if a child bites into it.

We asked the maker

The children's brand iiwan is produced by Hoei Kogyo Co., Ltd., based in Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture. Since its founding in 1970, the company has worked as a metal processing manufacturer, involved in prototyping and mold-making for a wide variety of products.

When searching for tableware for their own child, the company had considered durable plastic tableware—free from the worry of breaking—as a first choice, over wood, which wears down and absorbs odors. But at the time, there was a movement overseas to further tighten safety standards for baby products, out of concern that petroleum-based plastics and their additives could release harmful substances. It was becoming an era when people could no longer simply say, "plastic is durable, convenient, and safe to use for anything." It was around this time that the company encountered polylactic acid resin (PLA), a safe plastic that was then a new material, made by adding lactic acid to the starch of corn (dent corn) and fermenting it with lactic acid bacteria. PLA was difficult to use for making items with thickness or depth, but after much trial and error, and a five-year development period, the company succeeded in developing a range of injection molding technologies to make polylactic acid products heat-resistant, lightweight, and thin-walled. Highly safe and strong, tableware they'd want their own child to use—the iiwan brand—was born.

First and foremost, safety. And it's also important that it's easy for babies to use, and comfortable and convenient for adults to use as well. These are values that iiwan holds dear.

With iiwan, in addition to the safety of the plant-based materials and shapes described above, careful thought has also gone into making the tableware comfortable for adults to use. It is microwave and dishwasher safe, while still having a simple, gentle design that fits naturally alongside the rest of the family's tableware at the table.

The surface of the tableware is also given a matte finish so that it's easy to wipe clean, and a drainage groove is built into the base so that pieces dry quickly after washing. What makes iiwan so appealing is that, despite being baby tableware, it has a simplicity and rational design that blends naturally into everyday life. And because the makers have approached the craftsmanship with such sincerity, the quality is something they can genuinely be proud of.

There are no standards or regulations for "drop strength" when it comes to children's tableware, but with iiwan, we've made repeated improvements aiming for the world's highest level of safety, so that the tableware meets European standards※. ※In Europe, awareness of baby safety is higher than in Japan, so there are inspection standards for plastic children's tableware. That said, even in Europe, testing is not mandatory.

One of the European standard tests involves "dropping the item onto concrete from a height of 1.2m, five times from each of four directions." iiwan clears this test as well. This is not a scenario you'd ever encounter in a normal home mealtime, but it shows that the tableware has plenty of strength to spare.

Yes, it can be used in both. The heat resistance is 140°C (120°C for the cutlery).

Baby Tableware Gift Set with First Spoon

The spoon in the tableware set is designed with the assumption that the child will eventually use it themselves, but the First Spoon is made specifically for babies who are just starting to eat solid foods. Since some babies at the start of weaning can't yet sit up on their own, the First Spoon is designed with the adult in mind too, so they can hold it steadily. It's designed to be small and thin enough to fit comfortably into a baby's small mouth without effort, so the baby won't have an unpleasant reaction to the sensation of a foreign object.

Another key point is the curve of the handle. When an adult carries food to the baby's mouth without spilling it, the part that goes into the mouth and the adult's hand end up in a straight line. By giving the handle length and curve some distance, the adult's hand doesn't come too close to the baby's face, keeping their view open and giving a sense of reassurance.

Also, the surface of the tableware has a hardness comparable to acrylic, so it's durable, resists tooth marks, and stays looking clean.

A wonderful gift for your child or grandchild, or for someone special to celebrate the birth of their baby. This is the safe and reassuring tableware of iiwan.

▼Here is the iiwan tableware set

▼Here is the set with the First Spoon included

▼Looking for a birth celebration gift