IDEAS FOR GOOD held event “Travel and Marine Waste Talk Vol.1: Amsterdam and Fukuyama’s circular denim and tourism”

On November 18, 2023, IDEAS FOR GOOD hosted an online event, “Travel and Marine Waste Talk Vol.1: Amsterdam and Fukuyama’s circular denim and tourism,” to explore the possibilities of the circular economy.

Fukuyama City, with a population of 460,000, is located in the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, roughly in the center of the Seto Inland Sea coastline, known for its calm sea and rich nature. Fukuyama City is promoting the three aspects of economy, society, and environment in an integrated manner through co-creation with diverse entities, based on the “Rose Mind” (a spirit of compassion, kindness, and mutual help), which has been nurtured as a part of its citizen culture during postwar reconstruction. Fukuyama City has adopted the theme of “Fukuyama’s Version of Circular Economy” for sustainable urban development and new value creation, and was selected as an “SDGs Future City” by the Cabinet Office in May 2023.

Fukuyama is also known as Japan’s largest denim production center, and is developing a diverse range of manufacturing. Surrounded by natural resources such as the rich waters of the Seto Inland Sea and cultural resources such as Fukuyama Castle, Fukuyama is also a renowned tourist destination. The question arises: How can Fukuyama, with its unique blend of industry and natural/cultural riches, design a sustainable future through the lens of the circular economy?

A clue can be found in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, which also faces the sea, is known as the world’s largest denim hub, and is also known as a leading city in the circular economy. Amsterdam is home to a number of unique start-ups with a circular economy theme, such as “Plastic Whale,” which is developing a business that combines the solution of the ocean plastic problem with tourism, and “MUD Jeans,” which is the originator of circular denim.

Therefore, with the three keywords “sea,” “denim,” and “tourism” as commonalities between Fukuyama and Amsterdam, we explored the possibilities of Fukuyama’s version of circular economy with the participants, taking a cue from the Amsterdam case study.

On the day of the event, participants were connected in real-time online to Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Fukuyama City, where they were introduced to examples of circular economy initiatives in both cities, exchanged opinions, and held discussions. Distinguished guest speakers included Ryuichiro Nishizaki from Japan Gray Line Co., Ltd., an expert in Amsterdam’s circular economy with extensive experience coordinating company visits, and Shinichi Noguchi, the representative of BOSCA Co., Ltd. In addition to contributing to Fukuyama city planning, Noguchi also supports Japanese SMEs from Amsterdam.

From Fukuyama City, Akiko Kanbara, Director of Planning Policy Department, Planning and Finance Bureau, Fukuyama City, Yuta Otsuka, and Mika Kuroki, who works on the “REKROW” project in Fukuyama City to produce circular workwear under the concept of “production area type circular economy” were invited to speak.

Image via PRTIMES (in Japanese)

Image via PRTIMES (in Japanese)

The event focused on Amsterdam’s circular economy projects, Fukuyama City’s “Fukuyama Version of the Circular Economy,” marine litter issues, circular denim, and circular tourism. The event was attended by people who want to think about how to transform the region’s natural, historical, and cultural resources into new local circular industries.

This event was held as part of “Travel and Marine Waste*,” an initiative in which IDEAS FOR GOOD, operated by our company, is actively involved.

*What is “Travel and Marine Waste”?: This project, which includes initiatives such as the “Traveling Garbage Bin,” “Marine Waste Visualization Project,” “Circular Design Workshop,” and other events related to marine litter, offers learning opportunities and support for citizen-led practices aimed at promoting a circular society. These initiatives are collaboratively designed with researchers, companies, and students engaged in circular economy practices, as well as local governments and organizations actively involved in the community. The project also actively participates in the Expo Co-Creation Challenge.

*This project is a part of the research activities of COI-NEXT, “Center for Co-Creation of Resource Circular Society by Renewable Polysaccharide Plant-Derived Plastics,” a program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to support the formation of a place for co-creation.

URL：https://team.expo2025.or.jp/ja/challenge/1234 (in Japanese)

[Reference] “Travel and Marine Waste Talk Vol.1: What if Amsterdam and Fukuyama met through Circular Design? – Sea, Denim and Tourism will be held on 9/13 | IDEAS FOR GOOD” (in Japanese)
[Related Site] IDEAS FOR GOOD (in Japanese)