thumbnail_cehub_logo_dark_290_45(1).png

cehub_logo_dark_290_45(1).png

This collection features a selection of inspiring examples of the circular economy, from innovative business models to local community practices in Japan.

Circular Economy Hub Japan is an online platform operated by Harch Inc., a Japanese digital media company focusing on sustainability and the circular economy. 

Circular Economy Hub Japan provides the latest circular economy news, case studies, and insights in Japan and overseas. The platform also hosts monthly events, circular design workshops, study tours, and community gatherings for circular economy professionals across the county. 
The initiative aims to accelerate the circular economy transition in Japan by sharing knowledge and experiences, facilitating collaborations, and boosting innovations together. 
Our diverse audience and community members include local governments, multinational companies, startups, SMEs, research institutions, consultancies, universities, nonprofits, and citizens.

To learn more about Circular Economy Hub Japan visit [https://harch.jp/en/media/cehub](https://harch.jp/en/media/cehub)

thumbnail_cehub_social_logo_400.png

cehub_social_logo_400.png

Circular Economy Hub Japan

large_jase-bloor-oCZHIa1D4EU-unsplash.jpg

medium_jase-bloor-oCZHIa1D4EU-unsplash.jpg

small_jase-bloor-oCZHIa1D4EU-unsplash.jpg

thumbnail_jase-bloor-oCZHIa1D4EU-unsplash.jpg

jase-bloor-oCZHIa1D4EU-unsplash.jpg

Business case

Efficiency gains on operations or transactions either through cultural or technological shifts

Productivity

Reduced use of virgin materials and/or an increase of the use of secondary and bio-based materials

Reduce Material Consumption (SDG12)

Minimise waste through diversion: Instead of sending waste to landfill, it is redirected into other industrial processes for handling, treatment, recycling, recovery, or reuse in various forms. 

Minimise waste through design: At the outset of a process of project, plan and design such that there is zero waste or minimal waste during production, use, and at end of life. 

Minimise Waste (SDG12)

Producing and providing leisure and personal products and services for consumers, such as cleaning products, sports equipment and toys, personal and beauty care products, as well as domestic and personal services such as caretaking, cleaning, hairdressing and other beauty treatment, funeral and related activities

Personal Products and Services

Extracting resources and minerals from the earth, such as coal, oil, gas, iron, bauxite, sand, clay, etc.

Mining

Producing and gathering crop and animal products from land and water through farming, hunting, and fishing

Agriculture

Collection programmes that process products and parts for reuse or recycling within the same industry

Closed loop collection

Using waste materials that have been processed and recycled to produce new products within the same industry

Using closed loop recycled materials

Transforming waste products into materials and lower value products within the same industry

Closed loop downcycling

Designing products that can easily breakdown and degrade in the environment

Design for bio-degradability

Designing products to remove any barriers to recycling and enable easy recyclability

Design for recycling

**Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns**

![12..JPG](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/12_ff44598f2b.JPG)

The world is seriously off track in its effort to halve per-capita food waste and losses by 2030.The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on consumption and production patterns, with disruptions to global supply chains and changes in consumer behaviour. 

Responsible consumption and production must be an integral part of the recovery from the pandemic. 
But the global economy also needs to speed up the decoupling of economic growth from resource use by maximizing the socio-economic benefits of resources while minimizing their negative impacts. 

Reporting on corporate sustainability has tripled since the beginning of the SDG period, but the private sector will need to significantly improve reporting on activities that contribute to the SDGs. 

This primarily entails environmentally sound management of "toxic chemicals" A substantial use of chemicals is essential to meet the social and economic goals of the world community, and these can be used with a high degree of safety when best practices are followed.  Gross chemical contamination, with grave damage to human health, genetic structures reproductive outcomes, and the environment, has been continuing within some of the world's most important industrial areas, and restoration will require major investment as well as the development of new techniques.
Effective control of the generation, storage, treatment, recycling and reuse, transport, recovery and disposal of hazardous wastes is another similar challenge. 
In addition,  solid wastes include all domestic refuse and non-hazardous wastes such as commercial and institutional wastes, street sweepings construction debris, and, in some countries, human wastes. As hazardous waste is frequently intermixed with other waste, this poses particular management challenges.
Finally, this target ensures that radioactive waste is safely managed, transported, stored and disposed of, with a view to protecting human health and the environment. 

To deliver SDG12, it is crucial to implement policies that support the shift to sustainable practices and decouple economic growth from resource use.

Sources: [https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12](https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12)
[https://sdgs.un.org/topics/chemicals-and-waste](https://sdgs.un.org/topics/chemicals-and-waste)

thumbnail_12.png

12.png

12. Responsible consumption and production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Impacts

small_climate-4803653_640.jpg

thumbnail_climate-4803653_640.jpg

climate-4803653_640.jpg

Industries

small_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

thumbnail_coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

coast-wind-turbine-sea-sky.jpg

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

large_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

medium_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

small_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

thumbnail_photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

photo-1515534238346-fb9ae3e399d0.jpg

Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

![fh.JPG](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/fh_45de648312.JPG)

**These 17 Goals recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.**

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, and especially on the Millennium Declaration adopted in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York which let to the elaboration of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.

In 2015, the Paris Agreement was signed. A major blueprint came out of this: The Sustainable Development Goals: 17 overarching goals—and 169 targets—that governments are aiming to meet by 2030. Significant progress has been made in terms of poverty, health and inequality, but there's still a way to go. This is where the circular economy comes in: by circulating resources multiple times, the circular economy tackles issues of scarcity and allows all to access what they need—without overburdening the earth. If it's implemented in a holistic way—affording attention to social considerations and the fair distribution of resources— it also offers a pathway for achieving the SDGs; and the link between the two is ever-growing. To read more about the link between the SDGs and the circular economy, click [here](https://www.circle-economy.com/blogs/how-the-circular-economy-can-help-us-reach-the-sustainable-development-goals).

It is the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) which provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues. TheDSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of UN systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and in advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.
Alongside this, the annual High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.
In addition, the UN Secretary-General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.

To read more information: [https://sdgs.un.org/goals](https://sdgs.un.org/goals)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

large_sdgs.png

medium_sdgs.png

small_sdgs.png

thumbnail_sdgs.png

sdgs.png

![Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png](https://goldilocks-images.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Screen_Shot_2024_10_21_at_16_53_12_12858da6aa.png)

Based on the work of [Bocken et al. (2016)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309699661_Product_design_and_business_model_strategies_for_a_circular_economy), the Four Flows Framework serves as a simple framework for managing resource flows in a circular economy by using less (Narrow), using for longer (Slow), using again (Cycle), and using clean, regenerative materials and energy (Regenerate).

These different principles of circular economy can be applied to our socioeconomic metabolism: we can design stocks like buildings, infrastructure, machinery, and vehicles to be rich resource mines for the future, and design manufactured goods and consumables to be cycled and made regenerative. Furthermore, the focus must also centre on getting more value out of fewer materials. Achieving the aims of a circular economy—minimising material use, regenerating the Earth, and preventing material losses—can be done through these four key strategies mentioned above.

Source: Circle Economy. (2023). *[The circularity gap report 2023](https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023)* (p.22). Amsterdam: Circle Economy. 

Four Flows Framework

medium_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

small_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

thumbnail_Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

Screen Shot 2024-10-21 at 16.53.12.png

     To realize the transition towards a circular economy at the local level, it is essential for not only businesses and local authorities but also each and every resident in the community to be actively involved. Therefore, Circular Yokohama has chosen to designate the month of October as “Circular October,” envisioning the “10” in October as […]  Read More        Circular Yokohama welcomed the “UNDP PHILIPPINES – JAPAN LEARNING EXCHANGE ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.” We hosted 14 delegates and 2 UNDP members from the Philippines between June 25 and 30, 2023. This article reports on the latter half of the five-day journey in Tokyo. The tour was co-hosted by Circular Yokohama and Zenbird. […]  Read More        Circular Yokohama welcomed the “UNDP PHILIPPINES – JAPAN LEARNING EXCHANGE ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.” We hosted 14 delegates and 2 UNDP members from the Philippines between June 25 and 30, 2023. This article reports on the first half of the five-day journey in Yokohama City. The tour was co-hosted by Circular Yokohama and […]  Read More        We have added a new circular project “Circular Gacha” in our database. Circular Gacha is a capsule toy machine that you can play by putting a bottle cap instead of a coin. It provides an enjoyable learning experience of local resources and materials circulation. For more information, check the project page with the link down […]  Read More        “Hoshiten Circular Library” is now open at Circular Yokohama’s office “qlaytion gallery” in Hoshiten qlay! Anyone is welcome to be part of this program. Please refer to the overview and opening hours below and feel free to enjoy the “Hoshiten circular library”!   What is “Hoshiten Circular Library” and how it works? “Hoshiten Circular Library” […]  Read More        We have added a new circular project “Kururi Works” in our database. Kururi works is an upcycling studio with the concept of “take discarded things and reborn them with value.” It is based in Kanazawa ward run by Takematsu Co., Ltd.. For more information, check the project page with the link down below.  Read More        An overall score is 101.3. It was highly rated for its commitment to community and employees Harch Inc. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yu Kato), a company with the mission of “Publishing a better future” and running Circular Yokohama and other eight web medias to pushing the world sustainability forward, received the B Corporation™ Certification, an international […]  Read More        Circular Yokohama participated in the event “Minato Mirai Circular Weekend – Everyone, try to decarbonize!” on March 24th and 25th. On the day of the event, we ran various programs on site. This event was the first event of the Minato Mirai Circular City Project, a Yokohama City project to promote the decarbonization of the […]  Read More        We have added a new circular project “Kanazawa School for Special Needs Education” in our database. Kanazawa School for Special Needs Education is promoting career education and waste reduction project to build a sustainable society. It is actively interacting with citizens and businesses to contribute to the local community from the aspect of welfare. For […]  Read More    

 
記者発表資料
令和3年12月1日
政策局共創推進課
小池　道子
電話番号：045-671-4394
ファクス：045-651-3501
 　横浜市は、このたび、一般社団法人 YOKOHAMAリビングラボサポートオフィス（代表理事：河原 勇輝）、特定非営利活動法人 横浜コミュニティデザイン・ラボ（代表理事：杉浦 裕樹/森由香）及びハーチ株式会社（代表取締役：加藤 佑）と、リビングラボを通じた循環型経済（サーキュラーエコノミー）を公民連携により推進する協定を締結しました。　本協定は、一般社団法人 YOKOHAMAリビングラボサポートオフィスが提唱する横浜版の地域循環型経済ビジョン「サーキュラーエコノミーplus」に基づき、循環型経済の推進を通じて、脱炭素社会や共生社会等の実現、市民のウェルビーイングの向上に寄与することを目的としています。  【記者発表】リビングラボを通じた循環型経済（サーキュラーエコノミー）を推進するための協定を締結（PDF：1,193KB）  
PDF形式のファイルを開くには、別途PDFリーダーが必要な場合があります。
お持ちでない方は、Adobe社から無償でダウンロードできます。
Adobe Acrobat Reader DCのダウンロードへ 

Japan

Ishikawa

small_blob

thumbnail_blob

blob

For over 110 years, NIKKO has continued to create tableware.

Since its establishment in 1908,NIKKO’s tableware has decorated the tables of countless households throughout the ages and has been the favorite of many hotels and restaurants around the globe.

For the next 100 years, we aim to enrich the dining and living space and reach further out into the world.

We will make food, lifestyle and culture “wonderful” around the world
by providing new products and services while taking care of limited resources.

NIKKO COMPANY

<p>NIKKO has developed a technology to recycle bone china into fertilizer and has been certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan on February 10, 2022.</p><p>NIKKO aims to create a circular economy around food together with restaurants, farm producers, citizens, and more.</p>