Announcing the crQlr Awards 2024 Winners — 29 Projects Pushing the Boundaries of Circular Design

Loftwork Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo; CEO: Mitsuhiro Suwa) and the global creative community FabCafe Global will host the exhibition of several of the crQlr Awards 2024 winners, titled the “crQlr Awards Exhibition Tokyo – Living Loops,” from Thursday, March 6, 2025, to Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at FabCafe Tokyo.

The crQlr Awards (“Circular Awards”) is a global award program that invites projects and ideas that advance the circular economy. This award goes beyond recognizing outstanding projects and ideas — crQlr is continually evolving as a platform for exploring a co-created, sustainable future by fostering new relationships between society, businesses, and creators.

Now in its fourth year, the crQlr Awards received 143 projects from 47 countries. Each selected project was honored with a unique award and comments from a judge’s panel of 10 diverse professionals and have been granted the right to use the official crQlr certification logo.

This year’s focus was on innovative approaches that harness the power of nature and technology, leveraging biological processes to redefine resource circulation and environmental conservation. The “Towards a Circular Bioeconomy” special prize highlights the potential to create regenerative cycles where humans interact with nature, enhancing its capabilities while restoring it. The projects celebrated under this theme chart new paths for resource recovery and environmental conservation, paving the way toward realizing a circular economy.

The crQlr Awards Exhibition will spotlight award-winning projects under the “Circular Bioeconomy” theme while reflecting on the bioeconomy initiatives of the crQlr Awards since their inception in 2021. The exhibition will showcase past award-winning projects and their outcomes, offering insights into the ongoing journey toward sustainability.

Hosted in FabCafe Tokyo, a space that fosters community and dialogue, the exhibition will present projects that take creative approaches to modern challenges. It will offer visitors a chance to gain new visions and inspiration for building a sustainable future.

Official Website: https://crqlr.com

crQlr Awards 2024 Results Page: https://crqlr.com/crqlr-awards/2024/results/

Thank you to all the applicants, project participants, and esteemed judges who have contributed to making the crQlr Awards 2024 a beacon of hope and innovation. It is an honor to serve as the Special Prize Judge and witness the remarkable vision and ingenuity showcased this year. 

This year’s theme, “Towards a Circular Bioeconomy,” is a bold call to action, envisioning a world where waste transforms into a valuable resource, guided by the synergy of nature and technology. It celebrates the immense potential of leveraging biological processes to reimagine resource recovery, green innovation, and environmental stewardship. Imagine a future where even the smallest organism plays a vital role in building a harmonious and regenerative world—this is the promise of the circular bioeconomy.

The world is witnessing a transformative shift as biotechnology takes center stage in addressing global challenges. From groundbreaking innovations like Air Company, which turns air pollution into high-efficiency ethanol, to solutions that minimize harm to the environment while maximizing benefits for humanity, the bioeconomy is reshaping industries and redefining possibilities. These advancements leverage nature’s processes to create essential resources sustainably, proving that innovation can thrive without compromising the planet. By aligning science, technology, and ecological harmony, we are not only reducing environmental impact but also unlocking a future where humanity and nature flourish together.

The entries this year exemplify this vision, demonstrating the incredible ways we can minimize waste and maximize nature’s brilliance. From converting human waste into soap to cultivating bioluminescent bacteria for sustainable lighting, these projects redefine what is possible. They remind us that every challenge is an opportunity to innovate and regenerate.

The Special Prize recognizes projects that empower nature to create new cycles, regenerate ecosystems, and inspire through storytelling. It is a privilege to highlight:

1. “Return to the Soil” Circular Sensors by Takaaki Kasuga, redefining sustainability in electronics with biodegradable sensors made from plant fibers.
2. Piss Soap by Arthur Guilleminot, transforming human waste into a practical resource while sparking a dialogue on urban sustainability.
3. Bio-Moon Lab by Laura Benetton, merging art and science through bioluminescence to create a new paradigm for sustainable lighting.

These visionary projects embody the essence of a circular economy, proving that sustainability can unite the planet, profit, and people. Let us celebrate these pioneers who show us that when creativity meets ecological responsibility, the future is limitless.

This innovative project is proposing a new technology designed with a fully circular lifecycle in mind: a sensor capable of decomposing and returning to the earth after its use. This biodegradable soil sensor exemplifies the fusion of cutting-edge technology and sustainable design, highlighting the potential for electronic devices to align with the principles of a zero-waste future.

Project URL: https://crqlr.com/crqlr-awards/2024/winners/return-to-the-soil-circular-sensors/

“This project demonstrates a deeply considered approach to addressing the growing issue of e-waste while enabling vital environmental monitoring. The concept of “”return to the soil”” sensors made from cellulose nanofibers is a compelling response to the dual challenges of sustainability and functionality. By relying on plant-derived materials that can biodegrade naturally, the project aligns well with the principles of a circular economy, providing a meaningful alternative to traditional sensors that contribute to electronic waste.

The focus on enabling hyper-dense sensor deployment without ecological harm is particularly impressive and presents significant potential for applications in agriculture, environmental conservation, and urban management. The use of cellulose nanofibers as a base material also highlights the innovative integration of advanced material science with ecological considerations. But the scalability of production and the economic feasibility of these sensors remain critical obstacles to address.

I am impressed and inspired by the ambition of this project to harmonize technology with natural ecosystems, and it is a thought-provoking perspective on sustainable sensor development.”

Piss Soap is sustainable soap made out of human-produced waste, including cooking oil, human urine and wood ash. The project is also a local and communal effort to tackle climate change, while shifting the narrative of climate transition and the circular economy, embracing care, community and local solutions.

Project URL: https://crqlr.com/crqlr-awards/2024/winners/piss-soap/ 

“Piss Soap’s success hinges on tackling the issue of waste material and fostering a meaningful conversation about how human waste can be beneficial today and in the future.

Piss Soap emphasises the importance of understanding the materials we encounter in our daily lives, their history, and the taboos associated with them. By doing so, Piss Soap aims to design solutions and materials that are mindful of their context.

This initiative not only offers a way to recycle human waste but also provides an opportunity to reconsider our relationship with the materials that surround us and the stigmas attached to them.”

Bio-Moon Lab is an innovative interdisciplinary project that fuses art, sustainability, and scientific inquiry through the exploration of bioluminescence. By cultivating Vibrio fischeri bacteria in petri dishes and liquid solutions, the project aims to develop “Bio-light” as a sustainable alternative to conventional artificial lighting in contemporary art.

Project URL: https://crqlr.com/crqlr-awards/2024/winners/bio-moon-lab/

“Bio-Moon Lab sparks a visionary revolution, redefining the way we illuminate our world by replacing electricity with the ethereal glow of bioluminescence. This groundbreaking innovation challenges the boundaries of conventional energy systems, creating a harmonious bridge between cutting-edge science and the natural world. By harnessing the power of biological systems, Bio-Moon Lab envisions a sustainable bio era where light is not just functional but an art form in itself. Its ability to transform lighting into an eco-conscious, visually stunning solution inspires a future where design, technology, and nature coexist beautifully, making it a beacon of possibility in sustainable innovation.”

Event Name: crQlr Awards Exhibition
Date: March 6 (Thursday) – March 26 (Wednesday), 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Venue: FabCafe Tokyo (1F, Dogenzaka Pia, 1-22-7 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo)
Organizers: FabCafe Global, Loftwork Inc.
Sponsors & Media Partners: IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub

URL: https://fabcafe.com/events/tokyo/crqlr-exhibition-2025-tokyo/ 

The crQlr Awards connects and empowers diverse players around the world who are striving toward a more desirable, circular society. The Awards gather projects in varying stages of development across wide-ranging fields, including material innovation, product and service, art, education, system design, and city planning. The goal of the crQlr Awards is to challenge social and business norms through cross-industrial collaboration to realize a more resilient, equitable and even regenerative future.

For past initiatives of the crQlr Awards:
URL: https://awrd.com/series/crqlr-awards