Yu Kato

I felt this was an excellent model of circular thinking on so many levels. The Kariyushi shirts utilize a neglected resource, in this case bagasse, a byproduct obtained from Okinawan sugarcane. The PaaS sharing scheme suits the needs of tourists who visit Okinawa for only a short period of time. The product life is extended through sharing and its later use as a soil enhancer, incorporating both a technological and biological cycle. The concept of a product passport offers both traceability and a connection between users and producers, promoting interest in the craft itself. Not only was this an excellent model, I felt it could also help to preserve the traditional clothing of the region and the distinctive landscape of the sugar plantations.

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This is a highly innovative project that incorporates many different circular economy principles, both soft and hard, from biological to technological, including modular construction designed for disassembly, BAMB using material passports, circular business ideas like PaaS and sharing, aquaponics and permaculture, rooftop farming and even beekeeping. I am really looking forward to seeing how the residents will bring this circular village to life and build a new urban ecosystem in the future.

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This project starts from a thorough analysis and visualization of the complex supply chains and material flows of the apparel industry. It then tries to identify the maximum impact that might be obtained from post-consumer cotton, taking into account both biological and technological principles of the circular economy. By making consumers responsible for sorting and collecting used clothes, it does away with some of the structural issues around cost and quality that beset the second-hand clothing trade. In that sense, it promises to build a new circulation route for clothes. The project also envisions adding “emotional durability” to used clothing by mounting an NFC chip on the recycled material. I felt that this was an excellent example of circular design thinking, from the process of Understand>Define>Make>Release to the way it approaches structural issues at both macro and micro levels.

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In order to bring about a circular economy, we need to make resources visible and matchable to other people’s needs. But even when resources are visible to all, the timing of supply and demand do not always match. That’s why the ability to temporarily store resources is also important. While banks play this role in the financial system, Tree Bank's highly original idea of providing the same infrastructure for living trees has great value. The project proposes a “Tree as a Service” model to meet temporary demand for greenery such as outdoor events. I believe that Tree Bank will open up new possibilities for green infrastructure and space utilization in cities. In circular architecture, there is a concept called BAMB, or Building as Material Bank. We might say that Tree Bank extends the concept of BAMB to urban trees. It could even become a kind of hospital that supports the longevity of trees that share urban living space with people.

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While regenerating nature is one of circularity’s core principles, the relationship between the circular economy and biodiversity has yet to be fully debated. It is increasingly important to consider how businesses can contribute to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. Symbeeosis® is an innovative and creative idea that ​​repurposes candles, a human product, as bee houses, revealing new possibilities for the circular economy and biodiversity. I felt this represents part of a regenerative urban vision in which the more candles we buy, the more bees our urban areas can support, and the more our urban ecosystem will be regenerated. I also love how the product goes beyond human-centred design with a scent that appeals to both bees and people, and how it adheres to circular economy principles in the details, such as biodegradable materials and seed paper in the packaging.

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