Hitachi-AIST Circular Economy Cooperative Research Laboratory: Second Open Forum
Ideal Future of the Circular Economy and What is Needed to Get There?
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Amid increasing efforts in Japan and elsewhere to make a transition away from the linear economy of the past and toward a circular economy, Hitachi and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) are working together to consider what a future circular economy should look like and the rules and solutions that will be required to realize this vision. This study is taking place at the Hitachi-AIST Circular Economy Cooperative Research Laboratory that was launched jointly in 2022 to focus on three research topics, the formulation of a grand design, the development of digital solutions, and the development of standardization strategies.
The first open forum was held in 2024 with the aim of fostering mutual understanding with other interested parties about the nature of the problem by considering what forms a future circular economy might take and by identifying the technical and institutional challenges to achieving it. Following this, a second open forum was held in February 2025 to present the laboratory’s findings about what a future with a circular economy should look like and about the technologies and rules needed to get there. The forum also hosted a panel discussion with invited experts to debate the requirements for achieving a circular economy and what sort of rules to adopt to encourage behavior change by individuals and companies.
For more details, please refer to the Hitachi Review website below.
