The University of Tokyo · Engineering
Professor Shinsuke Murakami's research lab focuses on sustainable material management and the transition toward a recycling-oriented society (Junkan-gata-shakai). The lab investigates material flow accounting, life cycle assessment, and consumer behavior related to end-of-life products, particularly in the context of electronic waste and circular economy models. Key research directions include developing environmental indicators for mining impacts, analyzing consumer preferences for circular product models (e.g., reuse, refurbishment, subscription), and estimating in-use stocks and lifespans of consumer electronics such as mobile phones. The lab integrates input-output modeling with empirical surveys to support evidence-based policy and industrial strategies for dematerialization and resource sustainability.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The production of mineral resources negatively affects the natural environment, which is a topic of urgent discussion in sustainable natural resource use/management. In this study, we explored appropriate environmental indicators of mining activities that might be easy to account for and deemed suitable as a first-order estimation of overall environmental impacts. We distinguish the differential impact between operations rather than providing a strictly estimated integrated single indicator valu
Despite the growing expectations of the transition to a circular economy, consumer preferences and the potential for circular products in a market in which multiple circular business models coexist are not well understood. Accordingly, here, in a case study of refrigerators in Japan, we applied a hierarchical Bayesian choice-based conjoint analysis to compare: i) purchasing brand-new, ii) purchasing reused, iii) purchasing refurbished, and iv) using a subscription to acquire products without a t
Planning transition from conventional mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal society to JUNKANGATA-SHAKAI (recycling-oriented society), requires detailed and accurate information concerning material flows, especially from the viewpoint of dematerialization. However, as is well known, it is nearly impossible to observe every material flow directly. Hence, the importance of Material Flow Accounting model has increased. In this study, a Material Flow Accounting model using input-outpu
Objective. We have gradually shifted toward the sound-material cycle society, and achieved some positive results. There are many discussions on so-called E-waste cycles. The home appliance recycling law was established and enforced for relatively large size home appliances. However, there is no legislative scheme for the small size home appliance recycling, and the hibernating stock of these appliances has attracted much attention recently. In this paper, consumer behaviors on their mobile phone
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