Kamikatsu Town and SPEC collaboration win recognition for circularity

Kamikatsu Town is once again drawing our attention, as its latest recognition came in the form of the “Local Impact” award at the Xtrepreneur AWARD 2024, hosted by Forbes JAPAN, for its collaboration with SPEC BioLaboratory,inc. The project, which integrates the resource circulation system reRise developed by SPEC, demonstrates how environmental preservation and economic activity can coexist in a sustainable model.

With a population of just 1,360 and an aging rate exceeding 53%, Kamikatsu faces many of the challenges common to rural Japan: population decline and an aging demographic. Yet, Kamikatsu has distinguished itself and gained global renown with its Zero Waste policy, requiring residents to separate their waste into 43 categories for recycling, and has achieved an 80% recycling rate.

SPEC has collaborated with Kamikatsu to implement reRise, a system designed to upcycle food waste. This system transforms food waste into liquid fertilizer, which is then used in local agriculture.

“Our work in Kamikatsu is about asking fundamental questions—why do we make something, and why do we discard it?” said Tatsuya Tanaka, president of SPEC. “This small town’s efforts have sparked larger conversations, not only about sustainability but also about the courage to challenge conventional practices.”

SPEC shows us that rural innovations can be scaled up to urban environments too. In the TOKYO TORCH district’s Tokiwabashi Tower, for example, food waste from the building is converted into liquid fertilizer using reRise. The produce grown with this fertilizer is then served in employee cafeterias, creating a closed-loop system.

Furthermore, the town has also pioneered a “leaf business” where elderly residents collect and sell leaves used as garnishes in high-end restaurants. The business is managed entirely online, with the elderly participants competing for orders via computers and tablets. Kamikatsu has also introduced a local ride-sharing system, using private cars as taxis to address the transportation challenges brought on by the town’s shrinking population and reduced public transit options. Kamikatsu and SPEC continue to inspire us as a model of sustainability and circularity.