Why did Fujitsu create 'inedible' cakes? - Launching the 'CARBON CAKES: Thinking About Our Air' campaign with 'PÂTISSERIE ASAKO IWAYANAGI'

Hello. This is the Fujitsu PR Note editorial department.
This time, we are talking about the air around you. CO2 and PM2.5 in the atmosphere are cited as factors in environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution, respectively. However, it is difficult to feel this in our daily lives because the threat is invisible.

On March 19, 2024, the Fujitsu brand team held an event in Tokyo titled 'CARBON CAKES: Thinking About Our Air' (hereinafter 'CARBON CAKES') and launched a campaign to experience social issues. In this event, we collaborated with a famous patisserie to express the state of the atmosphere, such as CO2 and PM2.5, through cakes, which can be said to be a symbol of people's happiness. In addition, through 'Carbon Cakes' that express the beautiful yet toxic state of the atmosphere by simulating cities using environmental, social, and economic indicators with Fujitsu's technology, we are urging consumers to 'make social issues their own!' It is a challenging event that asks, 'What are the options for a better future?' This is a report on the event.

The partner Fujitsu chose for 'CARBON CAKES' is the popular Tokyo shop 'PÂTISSERIE ASAKO IWAYANAGI.' The collaboration came about because not only the beautiful appearance of the cakes and parfaits created by Chef Pâtissière (*1) Asako Iwayanagi, but also her stance of thinking from the origin of ingredients and her straightforward approach to upcycling (*2) and food loss resonated with Fujitsu's desire to hold this event to think about what the options for a better future are.
*1: Chef Pâtissière: A head pastry chef who manages all operations related to desserts.
*2: Upcycling: A method of adding value to products or materials that were scheduled to be discarded and transforming them into new products.

For 'CARBON CAKES,' we utilized social digital twin technology from Fujitsu's R&D department, which reproduces not only the state of people and objects but also economic and social activities in their entirety digitally, based on real-world data. Furthermore, in a city with a population of approximately 100,000, we set the number of pedestrians and vehicles (gasoline cars, EVs) and paid driving zones, incorporated behavioral economics to predict changes in human behavior, and used Fujitsu's digital rehearsal, which allows for pre-verification of the effects and impacts of measures, to simulate the impact on society (travel time) and the economy (fares/costs) according to the amount of CO2 and PM2.5. From there, we created six models that charted environmental, social, and economic indicators.

Focusing on environmental indicators among the environment, society, and economy, this time we used baking powder to represent CO2 in the atmosphere and soot to represent PM2.5, kneading them into the cake ingredients according to the amount of CO2 and PM2.5.
As a result, surprisingly... in the following model with the highest environmental index, there was a jet-black (PM2.5) cake with air bubbles (CO2) floating up!?
In addition to the jet-black cake, six cakes were created according to the amount of CO2 and PM2.5, including a perfectly white one that represents a clear air state. Visitors who saw the black cakes containing a lot of CO2 and PM2.5 said one after another, 'I would rather eat the white cake if possible.' However, the important point here is that a pure white (clear air) cake is not necessarily the optimal solution for society.

The pure white cake is a state where social and economic values are extremely low, which means it is high-cost and unsustainable while sacrificing urban convenience. On the other hand, it cannot be said that a balanced state is the correct answer, and the answer changes depending on what the people living in that city value: sociality, economy, or the environment. Naturally, in the real world, it is necessary to consider not only the environment but also people's social and economic activities, and after 'visualization,' the focus was on having visitors think about which cake-eating future should be the ideal state for us. Indeed, the visualization of society through social digital twins and the presentation of options through digital rehearsals embodied the value of providing opportunities for people to think about and discuss the environment, contributing to building a better future.

Following the exhibition, environmental activist Ian Shimizu, economic thinker Kohei Saito, entrepreneur Gomi Hayakawa, and talent Mai Shinuchi, as well as Akiko Yamada from Fujitsu's Converging Technologies Laboratory, took the stage for a panel discussion. Starting with their impressions of the exhibited 'Carbon Cakes,' interesting talks were held from each perspective, such as how expressing the state of the air with cakes makes the threat understandable even to children, how visualization can lead to behavioral change, and the balance between CO2 reduction and economic policy.

After the talk event, the speakers and others gathered around a table, and as if at a banquet, they were served cakes representing 'clear air,' symbolizing the ideal future environment that cannot be realized without our actions.

Along with an explanation from Asako Iwayanagi, the pure white cake was served with the scent of herbs, and guests enjoyed the moment with a pairing of upcycled tea specially prepared for this event.

The materials used for this event, which had the theme of environmental issues, will be composted (*3), and forks, spoons, plates, and cups are designed to return to the soil within 90 days if buried, and are scheduled to be reused in a field owned by Asako Iwayanagi in Yamanashi Prefecture.
*3: Refers to 'compost' or a 'composter' (a container for making compost).

'This time, we had visitors experience social issues and the Fujitsu technology that supports their resolution by fully utilizing their sense of sight, smell, and touch, and they received this different worldview and way of communicating technology very positively. Through the collaboration with 'PÂTISSERIE ASAKO IWAYANAGI,' which approached this project with enthusiasm and finished the cakes with attention to every detail, and Chef Pâtissière Asako Iwayanagi, we were able to spin a new expression of technology. Fujitsu will continue to launch various communications so that we can convey technology that contributes to solving social issues in a more unique and effective way,' the Fujitsu brand team says, feeling the response.

[Related Links]

Official Website
(JP)https://www.fujitsu.com/jp/microsite/carboncakes/
(EN)https://www.fujitsu.com/jp/microsite/carboncakes/en/

Project Film
(JP)https://youtu.be/EyL1zuOyGKk
(EN)https://youtu.be/m03Et8JPbXQ

Event Film
(JP)https://youtu.be/yFn1uu5V9ns
(EN)https://youtu.be/R7bOGF3q33s

Fujitra News
Visualizing the future with cake. Fujitsu takes a unique approach to environmental issues - Fujitra News : Fujitsu (fujitsu.com)