From Chisato Horiuchi in Tokyo, Japan
December 2021, Oakland, California, USA. A huge 3D printer runs fast in the Mighty Buildings warehouse. Create a wall by spraying a material that hardens with ultraviolet rays. A 30m2 residential unit can be built in two weeks.
Need a little over two earths
Waste is reduced by 95% compared to conventional construction methods such as wood. Input accurate drawing data and no waste material is generated. In the state, urban development with only "printing" housing is progressing.
In 30 years, the world population will increase to 8.5 billion. According to the "Ecological Footprint", an index showing the environmental capacity of the earth, it is necessary to have more than two earths to maintain the current economy.
Mighty Buildings builds homes with giant 3D printers to reduce waste
The amount of waste and the cost of disposal are enormous. According to the Waste Engineering Research Institute, it will be 1660 trillion yen in 10 years until 30 years. It's three times the profit of a world listed company. There is an urgent need to switch to a “don't throw away” circular economy.
The countries and companies that have noticed move. "One ton of packaging material costs 200 pounds (about 30,000 yen)." In April, the UK will impose a tax on plastic packaging companies with a recycling rate of less than 30%. The European Union (EU) has asked member countries to pay 0.8 euros (about 104 yen) for 1 kilogram of waste of plastic packaging materials that have not been recycled since 2009.
Apple is planning to make all products from recycled materials. If materialized, 200 major customers will be forced to review their supply networks.
Sorting will also be strengthened. According to Morningstar Japan, 80% of the 68 trillion yen inflow of funds into ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) funds in 2009 is in Europe. Japan is only 3%.
Japan has a law but is inferior in its ability to execute. Cost awareness such as taxes is an issue. A carbon tax, which is levied according to global warming gas emissions, has not been introduced in earnest. The recycling rate of waste plastic is in the 20% range according to international standards. It is below the EU average of 30%.
While the Industrial Revolution in the latter half of the 18th century promoted growth, it caused various environmental problems. How to promote compatibility with the economy. There is a hint in the words of the great man.
Opportunity for steady economy
"Even if capital and population are suspended, people's minds and technologies will improve." In the mid-19th century, British economist John Stuart Mill introduced the idea of a "steady-state economy." He believes that even an economy that keeps capital constant without expanding it and keeps it within the limits of what the earth can tolerate can be affluent.
Yasushi Umeda, a professor at the University of Tokyo, who leads research on the circular economy at the 21st Century Policy Research Institute, said, "The steady economy is the future. The key is to wipe out the desire for material expansion. At the same time, sustainability. How to incorporate it into management is also important. "
As the word suggests, there is a movement to see "circulation" as a business opportunity without relying solely on expansion. One example is Redwood Materials, which was founded by Tesla co-founder. We have the technology to take out rare metals such as cobalt from used lithium-ion batteries and reuse them. Complete the supply network in the United States in collaboration with a major US automobile company.
China holds down its interests in rare metals, whose demand is rapidly increasing for electric vehicles (EVs), and human rights issues are also pointed out in emerging countries with large reserves. The establishment of reuse technology is not only for the environment but also for dealing with such geopolitical risks.
The swell of the circular economy does more than just show what a country, a company, or a person should be. It will also be an opportunity to find the next form of growth.
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