Mercari, Inc. (“Mercari”), its research and development organization Mercari R4D (“R4D”), and Musashino Art University will conduct a design project for value co-creation, aiming to encourage behavioral changes and habits for the realization of a circular economy.
Project Overview
Designing a service is not easy, and the recent demand for design that promotes a circular economy has added layers of complexity to the field of service design. When talking about the circular economy, the discussions we have now tend to focus on how society should change on a macro level—for example, how to circulate resources such as energy and raw materials. However, we must also think on a more micro level and consider the impact individuals can make. What kind of actions should service providers and the people using those services take in order to get us closer to a circular economy?
In this project, R4D and Musashino Art University will work together and explore value co-creation as one approach. Together with students from the Department of Creative Innovation of the College of Creative Thinking for Social Innovation at Musashino Art University, we will brainstorm, design, and create new mechanisms to incorporate into Mercari’s services. We hope this project will lead to new findings that encourage our users to engage in habits that will get us closer to realizing a circular economy.
Reference: https://www.musabi.ac.jp/news/20230904_03_01/
Comment from Mercari R4D Researcher Koki Kusano
At R4D, we place great importance on research that looks for ways to achieve a circular economy. Our organization wants to go beyond research and development in the tech sector. Through our research, we aim to find new ways to show people that, even on an individual level, they have the power and responsibility to make a positive impact on society with their own actions. We want to help people make this mindset change, and this design project for value co-creation is a first step. By joining forces with Musashino Art University in our effort to promote new habits, I am looking forward to the new discoveries it will bring. Going forward, R4D will continue conducting research and sharing information about service design aimed at the realization of a circular economy. For more information on Mercari R4D’s research on service design, see this page.