Japan's heirloom crops get 'endangered' status — a miner's heat-tech saves them

The UN estimates that around 75% of global food crop diversity has been lost over the past century, and Japan is losing centuries-old vegetable varieties the same way — climate heating accelerating the process. Heritage appeals had not slowed the decline.

Sumitomo Metal Mining had a tool before it had a cause: SOLAMENT, its proprietary heat-reflecting material used in automotive and architectural glass, stops heat from reaching whatever it shields. Droga5 Tokyo's leap was to point that film at a field instead of a building — turning it into shading nets that let traditional crops such as the Mikekado pumpkin, believed to be Japan's oldest pumpkin variety, survive hotter summers.

To make the rescue visible, the agency named it '(Un)dangered Vegetables', borrowing conservation's power of naming for agriculture. SOLAMENT-powered nets went onto farms, satellite data picked optimal growing sites, and the program expanded into education and culture: partnerships with agricultural high schools, a farmer's market installation at a Tokyo contemporary art museum, and vegetables distributed to children in need alongside stories of each crop's regional significance.

An English-language platform took the initiative global. The campaign was shortlisted at Cannes Lions 2026 under Sustainable Development Goals — Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure — credited to Solament™ with Droga5, part of Accenture Song, in Tokyo: a mining-technology company becoming a conservation brand.