"Use Forever Exhibition” in Kyoto Fuses Zen with Panasonic Model for Circular Economy

The term “circular economy,” or “CE,” refers to an economic system committed to promoting the most efficient use of material resources throughout their lifecycle. CE will fundamentally change how companies do business. Panasonic is now considering a strategic roadmap based on practical action that can provide the global organization with an innovative and sustainable CE model.

To help people understand the purpose of CE and provide examples based on the Group’s vision for a CE society, the Design HQ of Panasonic Corporation and the Manufacturing Innovation Division of Panasonic Holdings, Inc. held the “→ Use Forever Exhibition” event at Ryosokuin, a historic Buddhist temple in Kyoto, in September and October 2024. The one-way arrow in the title of the exhibition, “→ Use Forever,” suggests both an irreversible shift from a disposable culture to a culture of continuous use and a world where “disposable” no longer exists.



“What happens to a washing machine that has served its purpose?”

For an exhibition held at a temple dedicated to the practice of Zen, it was only natural that the event began with a series of questions. “Did you know that an individual will purchase eight washing machines during their lifetime? Have you ever thought about what happens to a washing machine that has served its purpose? Have we been so focused on the new that we never thought about what comes after?”

The organizers of the event sought to answer those questions while encouraging visitors to change their way of thinking from “throw away culture” to “use forever culture.” The exhibit focused on introducing material and home appliance prototypes that have been conceived from the perspective of product design, material development, and reuse/recycling to fit perfectly into a CE model.



Transitioning from a “throw away culture” into a “use forever culture”

This exhibition offered visitors the opportunity to see, feel, and think about the models conceived by Panasonic designers and engineers, extending the limits of what the company alone was capable of achieving through encouragement and criticism to realize a sense of co-creation. The prototypes on display included a “Modular Cleaner” with completely replaceable parts; a “Custom Shaver” that can be adapted to a user’s unique features and preferences; a “Subscription Washing Machine” that can be handed from one user to the next; the sustainable material, “kinari”; and “Appliance Chat,” which supports interaction with home appliances.



Regarding the relationship between “use forever” and “throw away,” Yamamoto thinks that in a world that has transitioned into a culture of continuous use, the concept of “throwing something away” will have practically disappeared. Even if something is used only once and then given away, it’s not being thrown away, reducing its value to zero; its value is being regenerated and it will find its way into someone else’s hands. “In that sense, I think it is important to sublimate the concept of ‘use forever’ from that of ‘throw away,’ and to create a design and mechanism that allows people to comfortably let go [of their appliances] and allow them to circulate,” Yamamoto (General Manager of Transformation Design Center, Design HQ, Panasonic Corporation) said. “The initial idea was to call the exhibition ‘Throw Away → Use Forever,’ but we decided to be a bit bolder and start with the arrow to indicate a world where ‘disposable’ no longer exists.”

Koso Matsuno, a Panasonic engineer participating in the project, said: “While engineers quantify many things, designers see things from a different perspective and then verbalize them. I think that in a circular economy, different values work side by side, so it’s important to communicate and acknowledge each other’s value to realize a circular economy. I’d like to see designers and engineers pool their respective talents and, with a focus on exploring and verbalizing value, work together to make circular economy a reality.”



Practical targets moving Panasonic toward its vision for a CE society

Achieving its vision for a CE society will require collaboration within the Group and with like-minded people and organizations. “We’d like to build on this event and expand our circle of friends who are involved in CE. The CE Exhibition was a chance to communicate Panasonic’s vision for CE on a global scale and increase the number of connections and joint efforts with people who share our vision,” said Yamamoto.

As for the proverbial washing machine that has served its purpose, what really does happen to them? At Panasonic, around 90%* of them are recycled into materials that continue to be used in the manufacturing process.