Collaborating with various local governments and NPOs in field trials

Kamakura City has been implementing “RecyCreation” since 2016. Working with Girl Scouts Kanagawa Troop 3, we held a workshop with the theme “Let’s Think About Future Kamakura”, using blocks made of collected refill packaging.
In 2017, in addition to Kamakura city, we started a new project with Kamakura-based partners such as NPO’s Kamakon and Yufu and Kayak Co. With the cooperation of residents, schools, local governments, and partner corporations, 41,025 packs were collected between October 2017 and May 2018, to create a life-size Enoden (iconic train) and a bench featuring “Ochibisan”, a character from Kamakura.

Today, the blocks used to create Enoden have been transformed into useful items that are used in new locations such as elementary and junior high schools, and stations.
This led to environmental education at elementary and junior high schools in Kamakura, and things continue to be created using the “Okaeri-blocks”.

In 2022, the “RecyCreation” was positioned as one of the themes within the project, is titled “Co-creation for the digitally driven: a society that actively participates in recycling resources”. This project, led by Professor Hiroya Tanaka of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University, has been selected as a fostering type project in Regional co-creation area under the program “Open Innovation Platforms for Industry-academia Co-creation (COI-NEXT)” of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). In May 2022, a research base facility “RecyCreation Keio Kamakura Lab” was established in Kamakura by Keio University to promote co-creation between the city of Kamakura and participating companies and to accelerate experiments with citizen participation.
From 2023, the project has been promoted from fostering type to a full-scale type and the title of the project has been changed to “Center for Co-creation of ‘Symbiotic Upcycling Society’ Connected by Respect”. Further development of activities by industry, government, academia, and the private sector is expected.

In October 2018, we launched RecyCreation in Kitami City, Hokkaido, which is famous for curling. This project is carried out with the Kitami Eco-School SDGs Council, a community group for which the Kitami City Environmental Division serves as the secretariat.

We expanded our collection activities with the goal of creating a giant curling stone monument with “Okaeri-blocks” to raise awareness of recycling and support the curling competition in a creation unique to Kitami. The number of refill packs reached its target in 2021, and the “100x Stone,” as it is commonly known, was completed in October 2021. After being on display at the Curling Hall in Kitami City until March 2022, it was moved to the Clean Life Center in Kitami City.

The Kitami RecyCreation project features collaboration between industry, government, academia, and the private sector. With the aim of becoming a model for resource circularity in mid-size cities, activities are still expanding.

Kamikatsu town, Tokushima Prefecture, has been collecting used refill packs since 2016. We recycled and processed 350 kg of the total packs collected in three years in Kamikatsu Town, created “Okaeri-blocks,” and held a transfer ceremony of the blocks at Kamikatsu Elementary School on January 26th.

In 2003, Kamikatsu Town became the first town in Japan to announce its “Zero-Waste Declaration”. The town’s efforts to thoroughly separate and collect waste have garnered worldwide attention.
Strongly identifying with the thoughts behind Kamikatsu-cho’s policies, Kao proposed a “RecyCreation” collaboration in 2016, and continues to work with the town.
Refill packs are collected with the cooperation of local residents and partner companies. We have installed a collection box at one of the town’s garbage stations which all residents use, and continue to separate and collect waste.