Social
Entrepreneur,
Innovator &
Systems Designer
Designing and co-creating a regenerative future.
Mariko co-founded "mymizu", Japan's first free refill app and platform with a mission to drastically reduce single-use plastic consumption, where she leverages the power of community, technology and design to tackle the biggest social and environmental challenges we face today.
In addition to building mymizu, Mariko is co-founder of Social Innovation Japan, through which she helps individuals and businesses succeed in designing creative and authentic ways to tackle social and environmental problems. From talks and workshops to hands-on coaching, she works with talented teams in both Japan and internationally to help them grasp the opportunities in co-creating a more sustainable future.
She has won multiple awards, including Business Insider’s “Beyond Millennials” award, and has been featured by Forbes JAPAN and as one of 50 Rising Stars in ESG by the Women of the Future Programme. Mariko was a Council Member for the World Economic Forum’s “Global Future Council on Japan”.
Activities
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Social Innovation Japan
Co-founder/Representative Director of an award winning organisation focused on growing the population of individuals tackling social and environmental issues. Flagship activities include:
Creating and supporting new social ventures
Community building (organising events, building networks)
Movement building (information dissemination, collaboration, mechanism building)
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mymizu
A multiple-award winning, flagship project of Social Innovation Japan. Transforming the sustainability space in Japan by launching Japan’s first free water refill app and platform, leveraging technology and storytelling to bring together community and collaboration with world-leading businesses and governments to shift from disposable to reusable.
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Coach / Advisor
Experienced in supporting major global corporations, local governments and the Ministry of the Environment in Japan in designing initiatives to innovate with a focus on sustainability. Areas of expertise:
Circular innovation
Systems change
Cross-sector partnerships for sustainability
Zero to One for sustainable innovation
Sustainability related business opportunities in Japan
Employee engagement / internal & external communications around sustainability
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World Economic Forum
Council Member for the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Japan during its term 2020-2022. Joined a group of leading experts, business leaders and the Minister of Environment to create a strategy for the realisation of a Circular Economy in Japan.
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According to a poll conducted by the Ministry of the Environment in 2019, 89% of respondents said they were concerned about plastic waste. McTier has been one of the key players in creating this positive shift in environmental awareness.
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Speaking Engagements
Japan Times Sustainability Roundtable
A deep dive into systems change and innovation for sustainability.
Kashiwanoha Innovation Fes 2021
Design & Innovation to solve Environmental Challenges. A conversation with Michiaki Matsushima, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED Japan
Circular plastics: Japan & The Netherlands
Discover best practices for collaboration between Japan and the Netherlands to scale up circular solutions in the plastics value chain.
TEDxOtemachi: 3 Lessons to Build a Social Movement
In the face of the climate crisis, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. So how do we engage people en masse to create the critical mass we need for change? (Japanese)
Areas of Expertise
How to build a Social Venture
Circular System Design
Systems Thinking
Social Entrepreneurship
Community Engagement for Sustainability
Social Impact
Strategic Design for Sustainability
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Innovation for Sustainability
Let’s work together
For consulting, coaching, speaking engagement and media enquiries, please use the contact form linked below!