09/12/2025
Between knowing and doing: how japanese circularity can guide us?
*By Ana Bertelli, specialist in Circular Business Models and coordinator of the Japan Immersion in Brazil
A few weeks ago, while cleaning out some old boxes, I found a 1997 issue of Time magazine. In that edition, titled “Our Precious Planet,” Time compiled an overview of the state of our planet. Curious, I reread the articles, published nearly 30 years ago. To my surprise, the major issues we currently face regarding sustainability were already present back then in that old magazine.
The Time articles already mentioned realities that differed from the rhetoric documented in the post–Rio-92 years and the lack of clear goals and plans to reach our shared global objectives, especially in mitigating the climate crisis. They highlighted the conflicts of interest that place sustainability in an impossible position: as the enemy of economic growth. But… not everything in that issue of Time was bleak.
Among well-crafted editorials, there were texts about Innovators, the Courageous, those who refused to accept the situation. Clean energy, biodiversity protection, recycling and material reuse, urban controls in megacities; so much was already there. Brands like Toyota, Canon, and Nissin showcased their projects, actions, and results. Impressive results. Why did they catch my attention? So many Japanese brands in an American magazine.
Coincidence? No!
Japan is ahead of the rest of the world in its sustainable practices. A curious mix of three factors forms, in its “cauldron,” the perfect recipe for the sustainable evolution we see in Japan today.
What are these factors?
- The necessity that arose in the postwar period, when the Japanese entered what we call hyperconsumption, and, being a small island, soon felt the effects of this behavior, for example, uncontrolled waste from durable and non-durable goods in their limited spaces and narrow streets.
- A culture that values everything around it and is opposed to waste, reflected in the concept of Mottainai, rooted in Buddhism, which permeates Japanese social behavior; and finally,
- The country’s technology and discipline, which transformed manufacturing and quality through continuous-improvement methodologies such as Kaizen, 5S, and STP, exported worldwide and aligned with the current global demand for transformation, becoming more sustainable or facing the consequences.
The result?
Today, Japan is one of the strongest benchmarks in sustainability and especially in Circularity, both in terms of the range of sectors where sustainable practices are already a reality and in the scale at which this transformation has been implemented.
The circular economy is fascinating, but in few places around the world can we observe business models that have already transitioned from a linear to a circular model, in practice and at scale, supported by years of continuous improvement experience. Japan is one of these places.
Japan Immersion
In May 2026, we will have the opportunity to witness this reality firsthand. The Circular Movement and AOTS (Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships – Japan) are offering an in-loco immersion program, exclusive and unique, specially designed so participants can experience circular business models in Japan’s economy across the various aspects already present in Japanese society, industry, and government.
For those facing; or intending to face; this challenge in Brazil, walking this path with AOTS Japan will undoubtedly be transformative.
Join us. Learn more at this link or send an email to imersaojapao@thecircularmovement.io.
Ana Bertelli* is a chemical engineer, graduated from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP) and from the University of Michigan in Business. She specialized in Sustainable Strategies and Circular Economy at the University of Cambridge and MIT. She currently works as an independent sustainability consultant. Over the past 13 years, she served as Executive Director at MindPartners®, working with clients such as Johnson & Johnson; Nutrien Agricultural Sales; General Mills; Mondelēz Intl.; Novartis; Estée Lauder; SulAmérica Saúde; among others. Previously, Ana was an executive at DIAGEO and Unilever, where she worked for 18 years and reached the role of Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for Latin America. In 2021, Ana founded Aksien, a consultancy focused on transformative sustainability initiatives, which she left in 2023. Since then, she has continued her efforts in leading transformative sustainability projects, mostly for FMCG, in Brazil and Latin America. Bertelli is also the coordinator of the Japan Immersion in Brazil. LinkedIn.
