In order to have visitors understand the importance of waste separation, she decided to install a collection box for a specific resource. Having found out that the major trading company “Marubeni” will provide “edish,” sustainable tableware made of recycled food scraps, as one of Co-Design Challenge initiatives, she chose to collaborate with them on a collection box specialized for this product.

Furthermore, when it comes to connecting with consumers, smartphones are indispensable. As another strategy, a two-dimensional code will be printed on edish, using an app to enable the visual understanding of the process showing how edish is born from food scraps and eventually turned into compost after it is collected. She is thinking of content that can be casually accessed, in a form that is easy to understand, such as videos and quizzes. It seems that waste separation and collection are progressing in Japan when compared to overseas, but there are still few initiatives for rousing interest in what happens after waste is collected. Ogura discloses her aim, “Instead of just eating and throwing tableware away, I would like people to give thought to how it was produced and what happens to it after it leaves their hands.”

The year 2024 is going to be a milestone year for Hitachi Zosen. Founded in 1881 as “Osaka Iron Works,” the company name they have used since 1943 is scheduled to be changed finally in October. The new company name is “Kanadevia.” It was coined by combining the Japanese word “kanaderu,” which means to play a musical instrument, and the Latin word “via (road, way).” It harbors the intention of “respecting diversity and paving a new way for bringing harmony to humanity and nature through technological innovation, just like an orchestra plays to achieve harmony.”

“What do you wish to accomplish, and how?” Such a message toward employees is written on a poster in a lobby at the headquarters, from where you can see the artificial island “Yumeshima,” which is the Expo venue. The new company name originates from the word “kanaderu,” and another meaning of this Chinese character is “to accomplish.” Since joining the company, Ogura has poured efforts into the work of discovering meanings in waste. A social innovation for recycling waste, which has been deemed as a nuisance at all times in history, as a resource cannot be achieved just by an enterprise. It is imperative for the whole society to change its actions and mindset. That is what she acutely feels before the Expo.

Ogura entrusts her wish to the Expo, saying “It may be impossible to achieve it right away, but I hope that we will inspire people who usually litter and do not care about waste separation to change their stance albeit a little when they see what we do.”