— Carbon-negative medical scrubs with blockchain DPP recognized internationally
WORKING HASEGAWA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kaho-gun, Fukuoka, Japan; CEO: Shinichi Hasegawa) is pleased to announce that its sustainable medical wear brand "sukui" has been awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2026.
The iF DESIGN AWARD, established in Germany in 1954, is one of the world’s most prestigious design awards, attracting approximately 10,000 entries from 68 countries each year. This award follows sukui’s Good Design Award 2025 (Japan) as its second major design recognition.
Background
Starting in 2025, the iF DESIGN AWARD officially introduced Sustainability as one of its five core evaluation criteria. According to iF's official process, the jury system includes a Sustainability Working Group composed of international experts, with members affiliated with organizations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a global authority on the circular economy.
sukui is a medical wear featuring carbon-negative hemp materials, full product lifecycle transparency through a blockchain-powered Digital Product Passport (DPP), and a circular design system integrating cleaning, repair, and composting.
About sukui
sukui is a carbon-negative medical wear made from hemp. Each garment is equipped with a blockchain-based Digital Product Passport (DPP), visualizing CO₂ emissions and absorption data as well as traceability information, enabling healthcare professionals to make sustainable choices.
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
sukui’s DPP employs a hybrid architecture combining blockchain (chaintope’s Tapyrus platform) with a database. LCA data and material origin information requiring tamper resistance are recorded on the blockchain, while frequently updated maintenance records are managed in the database. Scanning the QR code on the product provides access to each garment’s material origins, environmental impact data, and more.
CEO Comment
“sukui is a product designed around the entire life of a garment — from material selection through cleaning, repair, and composting. Each scrub is equipped with a blockchain DPP, allowing anyone to verify its environmental data with a single scan. We are delighted that this system, born from our desire to help people and help the environment, has been recognized at one of the world’s most prestigious design awards.”
— Shinichi Hasegawa, CEO, WORKING HASEGAWA Co., Ltd.
Partner Organizations
|
Organization |
Role |
|
KINGDOM TEXTILE (SHANGHAI) LTD |
Industrial hemp material supply |
|
weavearth (AKAI Co., Ltd.) |
Product development and design collaboration |
|
chaintope Inc. |
DPP system development and blockchain platform (Tapyrus) |
|
The University of Kitakyushu |
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) |
|
Fukuoka Prefecture / Iizuka City |
Project support |
Awards
• Good Design Award 2025 (Japan)
• iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 (Germany)
• Green Product Award 2026 Finalist (Germany)
Contact Information
WORKING HASEGAWA Co., Ltd.
Representative Director & CEO: Shinichi Hasegawa
Head Office: 156-1 Seto, Keisen Town, Kaho District, Fukuoka 820-0604, Japan
URL: https://sukui-wear.jp
Email: info@sukui-wear.jp
About WORKING HASEGAWA Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1978 in Fukuoka, Japan, WORKING HASEGAWA Co., Ltd. has continuously supported working people through the production and sale of workwear. With the growing importance of environmental consciousness in manufacturing globally and observing the EU’s advanced initiatives, we felt a strong need to shift towards environmentally-friendly garment production in Japan. To this end, we launched our sustainable medical wear brand, sukui, promoting the development of sustainable wear based on circular economy principles. We aim to establish standards for resource circulation and low environmental impact by collaborating with like-minded companies domestically and internationally, striving to bring about positive social change for future generations.
Website: https://working-hasegawa.co.jp/
About iF DESIGN AWARD
Since 1954, the iF DESIGN AWARD has been a globally recognized benchmark of design excellence. The iF Design brand is internationally established as a symbol of outstanding design achievement, with the iF DESIGN AWARD regarded as one of the most important design honors in the world. Each year, the award attracts over 10,000 entries from approximately 70 countries, judged by 129 independent design experts. It honors design achievements in all disciplines: product, packaging, branding & communication, service design, architecture and interior architecture, user experience (UX), user interface (UI) and concepts. All award-winning entries are presented on ifdesign.com.
Website: https://ifdesign.com
