The Imabari City Cycle City Promotion Council and Nomura Co., Ltd. are now fully launching the "IMABARI REHELM Project."

Upcycling bicycle helmets into furniture: Creating a safe and resource-recycling community.

The Imabari City Cycle City Promotion Council (Secretariat: Imabari City Cycle City Promotion Division) and Nomura Co., Ltd., in collaboration with planning partners in the Imabari region, are working on the "IMABARI REHELM Project," which began in 2025, to upcycle bicycle helmets entrusted to them by citizens into furniture that can be used in the city.
This project aims to promote safety awareness in Imabari City, where the wearing of bicycle helmets is well-established, by encouraging timely replacement of helmets and integrating resource recycling of used helmets. In 2026, the project will be accelerated, with a presentation at "Cycling Shimanami 2026" on October 25th, and the announcement and installation of furniture in the city planned for March 2027. The project also looks ahead to presentations at "Velo-city 2027 Ehime," an international cycling conference to be held in Ehime Prefecture in May of the same year. Through this project, we aim to connect a culture of safety and resource recycling to sustainable urban development, and to disseminate this concept from Imabari City to both domestic and international audiences.

From Imabari City: Turning safety awareness into citizen-participatory action
This project was born as a unique initiative in Imabari City, involving not only junior and senior high school students who wear helmets on a daily basis, but also citizens. Imabari City has the Shimanami Kaido, which attracts many cyclists from both Japan and abroad, and is working to create an environment where everyone can use bicycles safely and securely, as well as promoting regional revitalization through cycle tourism.
As cycling has become deeply ingrained in the community, Ehime Prefecture boasts the highest helmet usage rate for cyclists nationwide at 70.3%*1, and the city's rental cycle service recorded its highest number of rentals ever in fiscal year 2025*2. On the other hand, the recommended lifespan for bicycle helmets is three years*3. Precisely because helmet use is so widespread in Imabari City, we will not only promote helmet use, but also consider and work together as a community to ensure safe use, timely replacement, and even resource recycling beyond that.

Creating a new urban landscape from helmets
Nomura Co., Ltd., a comprehensive spatial design company, and its project partners viewed the entire process—from "taking care of" helmets, "transforming them into recycled materials," and "reusing them in the city as furniture"—as a single experience. They comprehensively produced the project, from conception and planning to design, production, and programs to encourage citizen participation. In 2025, they created a logo to promote understanding of the project, a movable box that moves around the city like a street stall to take care of helmets and create points of contact with citizens, and filmed a promotional video to spread empathy. They also tested the process of converting helmets into sheet metal.
Local high school students who routinely wear helmets when commuting to school will also collaborate on promoting the project in 2026, following their participation in the promotional video. At "Cycling Shimanami 2026," the high school students will introduce the project to international participants in English, showcasing the initiative to participants from both Japan and abroad.
 

*1 Source: National Police Agency, "Survey Results on Bicycle Helmet Usage Rate" (June 2025). Ehime Prefecture ranked first nationwide with 70.3% (national average: 21.2%).
*2 Shimanami Japan (General Incorporated Association) "2025 Rental Performance (Preliminary Figures)" As of April 2026: 173,279 units
*3 Japan Hook Manufacturers Association　

A design that connects helmets from handover to reuse.

Communicating | Symbol Mark & PR Video
We created a symbol mark and filmed a promotional video to clearly communicate the cycle of helmets being reused in the city, thereby expanding understanding of and participation in the project.

Join us | Re: HELM tour around town
We created a mobile box that moves around the city like a street stall, blending into the local landscape. This transforms the activity of taking care of helmets into a point of contact with citizens, encouraging the dissemination of information about the project and participation.

Reborn as a material | Recycled helmets
We are crushing helmets entrusted to us by citizens and recycling them into recycled materials. We are exploring the possibilities of molding and processing them, and are working to utilize them in furniture.

Reusing materials in the community | Recycled materials for furniture
Recycled materials from helmets are upcycled into furniture that citizens can touch and use in the city. This will create a new landscape in Imabari and make the results of citizen participation visible.

Project Overview
Project Name: IMABARI REHELM Project
Business entity: Imabari City Cycle City Promotion Council
Partner companies: Nomura Co., Ltd.
Regional Planning Partner: Fumoto Co., Ltd.
 

Imabari City
Imabari City is located in the northeastern part of Ehime Prefecture, surrounded by large and small islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea and the beautiful ocean. Known as the gateway to Shikoku on the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido, which boasts some of the world's most spectacular scenery, it is a "cyclist's paradise" that attracts many cyclists and tourists from both Japan and abroad. Taking advantage of the mild Seto Inland Sea climate and the blessed natural environment where the sea, mountains, and islands are in harmony, Imabari City is working towards realizing "Cycle City Imabari" by promoting tourism using bicycles, revitalizing the region, and realizing a decarbonized society, thereby promoting sustainable urban development.

Nomura Co., Ltd.
Nomura Kogeisha is a comprehensive spatial design and production company that handles everything from conception, research and planning, design and planning, production and construction, to operation and revitalization of diverse spaces where people gather, such as commercial facilities, hotels, corporate PR facilities, workplaces, exhibitions, and museums. The group as a whole operates in 11 locations nationwide and 8 overseas, including Nomura Arcs, which handles comprehensive architectural services, and Nomura Medias, which handles spatial revitalization projects. Leveraging the expertise and comprehensive capabilities cultivated since its founding in 1892, we deliver "joy and inspiration" to people.

Contact information regarding this matter
Imabari City Cycle City Promotion Council (Secretariat: Imabari City Cycle City Promotion Division)
Contact: Kondo, Watanabe Email: i3068@imabari-city.jp
Nomura Co., Ltd., Brand Communications Department
Contact: Okamura, Sasaki, Ando Email: prs@nomura-g.jp