Circular Economy Startups

Hinok makes a hand wash formulated with steam-distilled Jeju Hinoki cypress water and mild, naturally derived cleansers, marketed as antibacterial, low-irritation, and free of artificial fragrance or colorant. The product is sold directly to consumers with a refill-pouch system to reduce plastic use.

1 investor

KOCETAL® is a polyacetal (POM) copolymer engineering plastic used in automotive components (gears, fuel pump modules, door latches), appliance drive parts, and consumer goods like buckles and zippers. The product line includes eco variants made from bio-waste, carbon-capture, and renewable-energy-derived feedstocks, with ISCC PLUS certification for a sustainable supply chain.

1 investor

Terra Sem offers sustainable products and eco-conscious lifestyle guides through an earth-first commerce platform aimed at consumers interested in sustainable living.

1 investor

Trashbusters offers a single-source platform for event supplies and infrastructure, spanning 14 product categories such as tents and lighting, so event planners can source everything in one place instead of coordinating multiple vendors. It serves event organizers in South Korea.

1 investor

WATCHNIAN is a brand centered on wristwatches, with a stated mission of promoting the "circulation" (resale/reuse) of watches. The page explains the meaning behind the brand name, logo, and mascot character but gives no concrete product or service details.

1 investor

Okada Aiyon manufactures attachments and equipment for demolition, forestry, and environmental/recycling applications, such as breakers and shears for construction machinery. The company is a Japan-based industrial equipment maker serving demolition, forestry, and waste-processing industries.

1 investor

Carbon Fiber Recycle Industry co.ltd. is a Japanese company that recycles carbon fiber materials. It is based in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

1 investor

Kuradashi operates a Japanese online marketplace that sells surplus and near-expiry food and other products at discounted prices to reduce food loss, donating part of its sales to social causes.

1 investor

A venture capital fund that supports startups in circular economy and nature-positive sectors, aiming to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion while building circular systems and enabling prosperous lifestyles.

1 investor

SustainaSeed builds tools to help businesses, individuals, and communities adopt sustainable solutions, starting with a global database of innovative solution providers. Its product VerityBase was announced for soft launch at an event in Tokyo.

1 investor

Sustainacraft evaluates the effectiveness of nature conservation and forest carbon projects by combining satellite remote sensing with causal inference techniques, quantifying carbon credit baselines with high accuracy. It serves the carbon credit and natural capital finance market, working with research and public institutions to counter greenwashing and low-quality credits.

1 investor

Sunlit Seedlings Co., Ltd. describes its SDGs initiatives and its fraud-prevention policy for managing public research funds, stating it operates and manages competitive research funding in line with guidelines for the administration and auditing of public research expenses at research institutions.

1 investor

Nagasuna Mayu develops and manufactures silk protein products (sericin and fibroin) for application in cosmetics, healthcare, and materials, along with textile refining machinery. The company operates multiple facilities in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, focusing on innovation in silk-based biotechnology.

1 investor

Phytochem Products is a Tohoku University spinout that uses an ion-exchange resin method to extract functional compounds such as tocotrienol (super vitamin E) and plant sterols from unused biomass like rice bran left over from rice oil production. It supplies these ingredients for fuel, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and daily-goods industries and offers technical consulting on phytochemical extraction, ester synthesis, and equipment design.

1 investor

Netoff operates an online resale and reuse marketplace under the "NET OFF" brand. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rinet Japan Group, a Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed company.

1 investor

R-Inverse is a manufacturer that converts waste plastic into high-quality recycled plastic materials using proprietary processing technology, and provides circular economy solutions to partner companies across the entire value chain from waste collection to material processing and product development.

1 investor

AiHuiShou (Wanwu Xinsheng) operates a platform for recycling and reselling used electronics and second-hand consumer devices. It is part of a Shanghai-based environmental technology group focused on the circular economy for used goods.

1 investor

Daiho Group (Daiho Industry) is a Japanese manufacturer whose original business is plastic injection molding, now expanded into components for HVAC systems and air-blowing equipment used in building/housing facilities. The company also develops sustainability-focused technologies around waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, including a pulp injection molding method using fully natural materials.

1 investor

A non-ferrous smelting and metals recycling company that refines zinc, lead, and silver, and produces electronic components and functional materials. Operating since 1937, the company processes limited resources through smelting and recycling technology to support sustainable resource circulation.

1 investor

Nature Innovation Group operates iKasa, an umbrella-sharing service in Japan aimed at reducing single-use plastic umbrella consumption by letting people rent umbrellas affordably and conveniently. The service targets everyday commuters seeking to stay dry on rainy days without buying disposable umbrellas.

1 investor

Sells industrial metal and resin 3D printers, filament production machines, and surface treatment equipment, and offers contract manufacturing including reverse engineering, part production, and discontinued-parts fabrication. Serves business (B2B) clients in manufacturing, with applications spanning plant maintenance parts, prototyping, and medical/care product development.

1 investor

Aladdin develops AI-powered waste sorting systems using computer vision and automated recognition to identify and classify waste materials with high accuracy. The company offers cloud-based analytics and is developing autonomous humanoid robots for waste management automation.

1 investor

Andeco develops solutions that align environmental and economic activity to support regional revitalization and sustainable development in Japan. The company focuses on renewable energy, circular economy principles, and ecosystem-conscious business design across sectors including infrastructure, energy transition, and environmental conservation.

1 investor

Gab is a Japanese company addressing social and environmental issues through three divisions: a material business that carbonizes waste to create new materials (first product an artificial leather), a retail business running an ethical media site and online store with its own product development and sales, and an entertainment business that organizes game-based litter-cleanup social-contribution events with municipalities and companies.

1 investor