Chris LeeJapan has its strong and weak points regarding eco-friendliness and sustainability. The country is home to several initiatives and programs for building a better future. At the same time, Japan is infamous for its excessive plastic usage. It is the second largest producer of plastic waste per capita behind the USA.
When we think of sustainability, we often think of bigger efforts related to things such as manufacturing and recycling. While these are the most important overall, smaller individual actions can make a difference too. Our thinking and values can also influence large scale ideas and initiatives.
What is mottainai?
Enter the old Japanese concept of mottainai. The term is loosely translated as “what a waste.” Its origins aren’t clear, but the word “mottai” has Buddhist roots, meaning essence or importance. Mottainai reflects the idea that we should respect objects and not waste them.
People who live in Japan can see this play out in daily life. For example, anyone who’s taught at a kindergarten or elementary school will know that children are taught to eat all the food on their plate. We can also think of mottainai as placing value on individual objects that we own.
The term may be unique to Japan, but there have been non-Japanese people using mottainai to make a sustainable world. Kenyan Wangari Maathai was a prominent social and environmental activist until her death in 2011. She started using the term mottainai after a 2005 visit to Japan, working with Japanese organizations to spread its use overseas.
Mottainai movements in and outside of Japan
One of those organizations, Mainichi Newspapers, launched the MOTTAINAI Campaign to promote environmentalism. Among other things, the campaign sells products on its website and holds events. One notable example is a 2015 trash pickup event held along the Shizuoka coasts. They have also held Kids Town events in Tokyo from 2017 to 2019. At Kids Town Tokyo, children presented and learned about environmental issues, including global warming.
In food production, certain products often go to waste. Some companies are trying to make use of these products in sustainable ways. An Australian business called Mottainai Lamb started feeding its lambs imperfect food that otherwise would not go to market due to blemishes and other minor problems. In Japan itself, a company called T-Point started sourcing unused fish off the coast of Goto City in Nagasaki for a new food product. Some of these fish are not popular for market distribution due to their smell. However, making use of them helps reduce problems caused by their overpopulation, such as sea deforestation.
Waste companies can also partake in the mottainai spirit. Nakadai in Maebashi City, Gunma is a waste company that makes some sustainability efforts. It takes items that would go to waste and reuses and renovates them. These include products disposed of from warehouses, failed materials from assembly lines and everyday products.
Centuries old concepts can guide us to a sustainable future
The idea of mottainai shows us two things. First, even as societal progress depends on looking to the future, we can still learn valuable things from the past. Second, it shows us that our values and thinking can shape both our individual actions and larger movements.
Mottainai may be centuries old, but it can give us a framework that helps guide our decisions about waste management and reusing items. It can help us think twice about what products we purchase, how long we use them and how to properly dispose of them. Mottainai is just one small piece of the sustainability puzzle, but it can help us create a society that works and lasts for everybody.
[Reference] Mottainai[Reference] BBC
