Circular Economy Hub hosted an online event: “BuidlingNew Relationships with Consumers through Circular Marketing”

Circular Economy Hub has been hosting the monthly online learning program series “Circular X” since 2021, offering opportunities to explore the future of circular economy practices across various industries and sectors.

The theme of the July 2025 edition was “Building New Relationships with Consumers through Circular Marketing.”

The session focused on how businesses can rethink their relationships with consumers in the transition toward a circular economy.

Traditional marketing tends to concentrate on pre-purchase communication. However, in a circular system, we need to focus on the period after the purchase. Thus far, it is important to maintain good communication between suppliers and consumers at each stage from using and maintaining to returning products for reuse, repair, rental, or recycling.

The guest speaker for this session was Tetsuya Saruta, a hairdresser and representative of both the salon “THE ORIENTAL JOURNEY” and the Japan Sustainable Salon Association (JSSA), which works to promote sustainability in the salon industry. Drawing on his experience in an industry built on in-person engagement with clients, Saruta addressed how salons can act as platforms for encouraging circular habits and forging long-term relationships.

While the term “circular marketing” is gaining attention, Saruta offered practical insights on what concrete actions businesses can take from a sustainability perspective.

To explore the topic from multiple angles, the event also included time for participants to reflect and engage in group discussion.

Speaker

Tetsuya Saruta: Chairperson, Japan Sustainable Salon Association / Representative, THE ORIENTAL JOURNEY

Hairdresser. Graduate of Hollywood Beauty College. Influenced by his parents’ involvement in volunteer work, Saruta developed an early interest in international development and took part in a range of charitable activities. A water leakage accident at the salon where he worked as manager prompted him to open THE ORIENTAL JOURNEY in 2019, a salon built on the concept of “beautifying the world.” His salon was the first in Japan’s hairdressing industry to earn BIO HOTELS JAPAN certification. He later became the first Asian participant in the Nordic Green Salon certification program and has engaged in solo volunteer missions such as offering free haircuts at Cambodian orphanages. Saruta continues to pioneer a new vision for the future of the salon industry as a “hairdresser who makes the world more beautiful.”

[Reference] “Forging New Relationships with Consumers through Circular Marketing” | Peatix (in Japanese)
[Related Site] Circular Economy Hub (in Japanese)