In a first for Samoa, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Accelerator Lab (AccLab) has won one, of only two spots, for the Japan SDGs (Sustainable
Development Goals) Innovation Challenge. Samoa and Zimbabwe are the only AccLabs selected
from a pool of 91 UNDP AccLabs across the world.
The Challenge will enable the UNDP Samoa AccLab to implement an innovative project to convert
fish skin into sustainable fish leather.
This project aims to maximize the economic benefits of the entire fish caught, instead of just the
flesh whilst discarding other fish parts, thus lending the project its name: “100% Fish Use”. The fish
leather will be manufactured through a sustainable process. The eco-friendly fish leather is an
exotic leather and will be an addition to the existing Samoan handicrafts/products such as wallets,
business card holders and other items, popular as souvenirs. There is also a huge demand for fish
leather overseas and this has the potential to increase additional avenues for export.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) AccLab is partnering with Think Sea Corp,
a Japanese company, to implement this project through funding from the Japan Cabinet Office
(CAO). This Challenge is facilitated by the Japan Innovation Network. The contract between UNDP
Samoa and Think Sea Corps was signed in March 2023 and the project is now ready for
implementation.
“Over 40 to 60% of the caught fish is currently being dumped or underused. Furthermore, there is
very little data on the amount of fish waste generated in Samoa. This project, in addition to
assigning economic value to fish waste, will also boost the data on fish waste,” said Jorn
Sorensen, Resident Representative, UNDP Samoa.
The founders of the Think Sea Corp will spend two months in Samoa to experiment with the fish
skin type available locally and create samples of leather. They will also train the target
communities on the low-cost process of leather production, enabling communities to take up new
entrepreneurial opportunities of producing, utilizing, and selling fish leather.

“We are thrilled to embark on this project to contribute to the protection of
the marine environment and sustainable development with the team at UNDP Samoa. As
awareness of the importance of marine conservation continues to grow, we take great pride in
being able to support sustainable economic development while making use of ocean resources.
Through this project, we hope to make valuable contributions to the local communities by
leveraging our respective expertise and skills to pursue meaningful impact,” said Tomohisa
Noguchi, Founder, Think Sea Corp.
The 100% Fish Use project is a critical milestone for Samoa not only in terms of expanding the
blue economy, but also a successful example of connecting technology and innovation from the
private sector to local contexts, accelerating progress on the SDGs.