Circular Economy Hub held Refuturing “The history of circularity. Rethinking relational circular design through materials, waste, and culture”

Circular Economy Hub, operated by Harch, is rebranding its monthly online learning program “Circular X,” which has been held to explore future visions of the circular economy across industries and fields, as “Refuturing.” The program will launch as a new series and continue to be held monthly as a space for dialogue to reimagine the future.

Refuturing #01 “The history of circularity. Rethinking relational circular design through materials, waste, and culture”

Climate crisis. Loss of biodiversity. Conflicts and disputes over natural resources. AI technologies whose future no one can fully predict. Despite already exceeding the planetary boundaries that define the limits within which humanity can safely survive and thrive, the march of unsustainable growth continues today. At what point did we go wrong? Or will this path still lead us toward a sustainable future?

The new event series “Refuturing,” organized by Circular Economy Hub, began by looking back into the past in order to redraw a sustainable circular future. By revisiting a time before mass production, consumption, and disposal became the norm, and when humans and materials were more intimately connected, the session seeked to uncover alternative possibilities for circular futures that might have existed.

Guests included Masayuki Terai, representative of Gomi no Gakkou Inc. who runs the podcast “Hirake Gomi!,” and Isao Kitabayashi, representative of COS KYOTO Co.,Ltd. who runs the podcast “EDONOMY RADIO: Unlocking business through regional wisdom.”

During the event, together with Mr. Terai, who is well versed in the history of materials and resource circulation in Japan as well as the current realities of the waste management industry, and Mr. Kitabayashi, who has deep knowledge of Edo period circular society and Japanese culture, participants reexamined the structure of the modern linear economy from a historical perspective. Based on this, the session deepened discussion on more desirable forms of the circular economy and practical approaches to circular design.

What is waste in the first place? Why do certain materials and products fail to circulate? What kinds of circular societies and systems existed in Japan before the Edo period and before the era of high economic growth? Beyond simply looking back at the past, what is needed to apply the wisdom of previous generations to the design of contemporary society and future systems? The event explored these perspectives with participants who are interested in gaining insights for the future from the history of circularity.

Keywords related to the event

This event were well connected to the following keywords.

#Waste #Materials #Circular society in the Edo period #EDONOMY #Japanese culture #Circular culture #Kyoto #Kameoka #Circular design #Circular economy #Recycling #Local #Traditional crafts #Craft #Terroir #Making #Creativity #Relational design #Relational capitalism #Cultural anthropology #Future design #Systemic design #Discard Studies #Waste Futures #Material Futures #Decentering #Defuturing #Refuturing

About the Refuturing event series

A monthly event series developed by Circular Economy Hub. The series invites thought leaders and practitioners who are driving the transition toward a sustainable circular future, exploring new ways of circular design that question linear growth narratives from diverse perspectives and reweave relationships between humans and nature, as well as between the present and the future.

* What is Refuturing? As challenges such as climate change and resource constraints intensify, there is growing concern that current social systems may be limiting the possibilities of future generations. This situation is sometimes described as “Defuturing.” Refuturing refers to a way of thinking and practice that questions the underlying assumptions of existing economic and social systems, institutions, and values that diminish the future, while repairing relationships between people and the world and reconstructing alternative and more desirable futures.

Organizer: Circular Economy Hub

Circular Economy Hub is a specialized media platform on the circular economy operated by Harch. It provides the latest trends, case studies, insights, events, and workshops related to the circular economy both in Japan and globally. Through the expertise of its editorial team located in Japan and around the world, as well as its networks and practical experience, it supports companies and municipalities in advancing circular design, circular business, and the transition to circular cities.

URL: https://cehub.jp (in Japanese)

Support for circular city transition for municipalities by Circular Economy Hub

• Circular City Transition Guide: Circular city transition guide (in Japanese)
• Circular City Transition Indicator: Circular city transition indicator (in Japanese)

For more information

https://cehub.jp/event/refuturing-1/ (in Japanese)