The University of Tokyo (UTokyo; President: Makoto Gonokami) and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC; President: Masayuki Waga) recently agreed to collaborate towards the creation of a circular economy.
MCC endorses the mission of the Center for Global Commons (CGC; Director: Naoko Ishii*), which was newly established by the Institute for Future Initiatives of UTokyo on August 1, 2020, to “protect a stable global environment as the basis for a prosperous and sustainable society” and will support CGC’s activities by donating to the center. At the same time, MCC and UTokyo have started discussing joint research to be undertaken as part of CGC’s activities on topics such as a vision for a chemical industry business model for circulation and effective use of resources to provide society with a wide range of materials.
Global commons are defined as global environmental systems that form a shared basis for the sustainable development of humankind. To protect the sustainability of global environmental systems, CGC aims to scientifically demonstrate pathways for fundamental transformation of social and economic systems based on scientific modelling. In collaboration with private enterprises, CGC also aims to research specific methods of transformation and routes to achieving change, and promotes the realization of such change through international cooperation. (Please refer to the article “UTokyo launches first-of-its-kind Center for Global Commons” for more details).
Based on the KAITEKI vision set out by the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation Group, MCC is striving to contribute to the creation of a sustainable society through its business activities. To further its efforts, on April 1, 2020 MCC established a Circular Economy Department reporting directly to the president. Global in both perspective and scale, initiatives undertaken by this department are spanning boundaries between business units to promote the proposal and commercialization of solutions relating to the circular economy and proactively pursuing tie-ups with external parties including customers, academic institutions, and start-ups.
Through joint research, UTokyo and MCC will, from their respective standpoints, contribute to the creation of sustainable social and economic systems.
*CGC Director Naoko Ishii was appointed as a Senior Executive Fellow of MCC on August 1.
For further information, please contact:
The University of Tokyo Institute for Future Initiatives
TEL: [+81] (0)3-5841-1708
Public Relations and Investor Relations Office
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation
TEL: [+81] (0)3-6748-7140