Kyoka Hasegawa - 1(NIT (KOSEN), Tokuyama College)

Circular Economy and Japan
Kyoka Hasegawa (NIT (KOSEN), Tokuyama College)
Hello everyone.
Before getting into my main subject, do you mind showing me a little inside of yourbag? Don’t hesitate, I know it’s messy. Just kidding. Let me show you the inside of mybag. A pen case, a bottle of tea, a cosmetic pouch, a handkerchief, a lip balm, and so on.
Have you ever wondered what would happen after these things finished their role? Yes,
they turn into garbage.
I've been hearing the terms "sustainability" and "SDGs" for about three years now.
Surprisingly, more than half of the garbage in this society comes from buildings.
Recently, an interesting theme was presented at KOSEN design competition, which was“Sustainable Housing". When I heard the theme, a question came up in my mind. “Whatdoes sustainable mean, when it comes to building a house? Should it be strong enough?
Should I attach solar panels?" After that, I realized an important way of thinking, which
is circular economy.
The circular economy is a concept that aims to break away from the "straight-line
economy" that uses goods in one way by preserving and maintaining the value of
products, materials, and resources for a long time and minimizing the generation ofwaste.
Peter van Assche, the founder of an architectural studio that promotes the Dutch
circular economy, says, “Destroying a building produces a lot of trash. As a designer ofthe building, we architects are responsible for half of the trash that exists in the world.”
I strongly agree with him. I would like to show you some examples of efforts in theNetherland, a developed country with a circular economy. In some toilets in this country,excrement is composted and reused by installing a biofilter. There are also restaurantsthat use waste ingredients. The facility called "CIRCL" in Amsterdam is made of usedor reusable materials.
Are these efforts only done overseas? In fact, this significant idea has existed inJapan for a long time. During the Edo period, excrement was used as fertilizer. Also, in
ancient Japanese wooden architecture, the structure is supported by beams andcolumns without using nails. That method makes the buildings stronger, and easier todisassemble. In modern Japanese society, it seems that several companies arepromoting the circular economy, such as UNIQLO and Kagome efforts. UNIQLO
collected 620,000 of used Ultra Light Down Jackets in 2019, which is one of its
best-selling clothing items and produced new down jackets by using the recycled ones.
In addition, from September 2020, Kagome has commercialized some PET bottle
products using 100% recycled PET resin. However, it is a fact that the idea has not
spread enough in this society. As I recently learned the word, Circular Economy, there
are many people around me who don’t know the idea.
As Japanese people have had a "mottainai" spirit and a high awareness ofrecycling since long ago, if the idea of the circular economy prevails, it has the potential

Kyoka Hasegawa - 2(NIT (KOSEN), Tokuyama College)
to adapt rapidly. Since the idea was common in the Edo period, it should be possible torealize a more earth-friendly economy with the current technology and people'sconsciousness.
"Make it by thinking about what happens after it is no longer used." As a futureengineer, I also keep this circular idea in my mind and would like to work with you to
aim for a sustainable world.