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Hi, my name is Yvonne and I’m the head of Social Media for RINGO-TEX Global. On December 8th, 2023, I had the opportunity to see and help out at one of appcycle’s exhibition booths at EcoPro 2023. As a part- time employee, it was my first time visiting such an event, so here are a few of my impressions from my experience!
Big Sights at Tokyo Big Sight
EcoPro 2023 is one of the annual events held by Nikkei Messe to exhibit various products, services, and solutions that can support the development of Japan. The EcoPro exhibition, which was held last year from December 6 – 8, 2023, coincided with the SDGs or the Sustainable Development Goals Week. Themes for the booths included new services, inventions, and innovations that can help fulfil the SDGs that are targeted at saving the environment.
It was my first time visiting Tokyo Big Sight, which was the convention center that held the event and many others like it. Also, it was my first time ever attending such an event so I was surprised to see just how big the event was, both in terms of sheer size and the vast variety of booths available. According to the Nikkei Messe website, over 66,000 attendees visited the event over the three day exhibition. Aside from the fact that there were all sorts of visitors, including students, businessmen, and regular office workers, there was also an unbelievable variety of booths that featured universities, small start-ups like appcycle, and household brands like L’oreal.
Aiming for a Better Future
Given the wide scope of the event, I found it so inspiring that there were booths that addressed almost every aspect of the current environmental crises that we are currently facing. There were booths where companies could show the public their plans to contribute to protecting the environment through their practices, and there were some booths that introduced their products that could help solve some of the issues targeted in the SDGs. The Hitachi booth, for example, was exhibiting their Mineral Ion Toilet System that can help recycle and conserve water, aiming to provide safe water and toilets everywhere. There was also a booth by the company Fucco, which featured their product called DRY TECH, an ultra-porous concrete that allows water to permeate, which can help avoid issues like flooding. And of course, there was the appcycle booth, where we showed visitors our products that take discarded pieces of processed apples and give them new life as animal-free leather.
Although I was only there for a day, I was glad that my company had an opportunity to meet people face to face and show them our mission. It was nice to see people take a genuine interest in our product, and to see them asking questions about how it’s made and how it functions. Also, I felt proud that we were able to show our own ways to achieve the SDGs through our company’s efforts.
Aomori Pride
Our booth was actually a part of the section for Aomori Prefecture, so we were placed alongside other start-ups from our home town. Even though I am not Japanese and have no personal connection to Aomori, I still felt proud to be representing the prefecture because of all the research and experience I’ve had with it from my job. It was exciting to see that we were not the only company loved from Aomori and I seeing all the details that went into the booth. For example, there were also posters on display for the Nebuta Festival which is a big event in the prefecture. I also liked that our booths had a sense of harmony, representing that though we had different products and endeavors, we wanted to represent the same place.
Conclusion
Even if I was only able to visit the event for a day, I am already looking forward to participating in more exhibitions like EcoPro. Not only did I learn about other companies’ efforts in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, I also learned more about my own company. I feel that attending such events can really help all of us better understand and also better support their efforts, which is crucial for their success.
Would you ever attend such an event? If you’re interested, be sure to check out this website for any updates and announcements about our participation in similar events. Don’t forget to like and follow our official Facebook and Instagram accounts as well to learn more about appcycle and RINGO-TEX!
