Abstract
The TOKYO 2020 Games have been planned with an emphasis on the realization of SDGs. Toward this aim, the Urban Mine Medal Project, which uses recycled metal to manufacture the Olympic medals awarded to athletes, is hailed to be a legacy of these Games for two reasons.
Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has been proactively promoting this project as a way to boost its Small Home Appliance Recycling Law. Participation by various shareholders with regard to the enactment of this law has expanded significantly due to the success of this project. While measuring further promotional points of the system, three important outcomes have emerged based on evaluation and inspection discussions regarding enforcement of the law since its implementation: increased collection amounts, efficient recycling is promoted, and new challenges are addressed. Based on the fact that this Project, actually designed as a “promotional type” system, has made such great progress it is clear we must promote the above mentioned measures, share the story of this project widely, and create a mechanism that ensures all small home appliances are properly and securely handed over from consumers to recyclers.
