As the automotive industry shifts from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs), many countries are setting new strategies in their transportation sector. The Li-ion battery is currently the most common battery used in EVs due to its high energy density, durability, safety, and cost competitiveness. Nickel is predicted to be an essential component for the lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NMC) as a cathode material of choice for EV applications. Indonesia, one of the world’s largest nickel ore suppliers, put an export ban on nickel ore effective from 2020. The bold movement was intended to initiate the domestic EV industry and encourage investors abroad to drive their manufacturing activities into the country. On the other hand, the global Li-ion battery manufacturers who imported nickel from Indonesia had to restrategize their businesses. This review discussed the chronological events leading to the ban and after the ban from the media, government regulations, and literature reviews. The authors of this study also conducted interviews and attended seminars with the national experts and key players in the battery and EV industry to gain their most pertinent insights. The SWOT analysis of the reviewed materials indicated that while the Indonesian battery industry is still new, it needs to diversify its research and development activities and collaborate internationally to optimize the utilization of its resources and meet the purchasing power of the domestic EV market. Finally, this study summarized six key factors to support Indonesia’s ambition to be a new regional hub for EVs. These factors are: (1) pricing, (2) technology, (3) policy, (4) investment, (5) infrastructure, and (6) compliance with sustainability standards.

As a net oil importer since 2004, Indonesia’s success in developing fuel economy and infrastructure for electric vehicles would be vital to ensuring energy security and decarbonization from the transport sector. Following the Presidential Regulation on the Acceleration Program for battery-based EV for Road Transportation in 2019, the Indonesian government provides incentives for the domestic production of EVs. However, as EV technology is relatively new for the domestic automotive industry in Indonesia, it needs to go through stages of development to achieve full readiness in society. This study analyses the key stakeholders’ perceptions of EV industries using the Japanese technology readiness assessment (J-TRA) to better understand the current readiness level of EVs in Indonesia. Primary data are collected through interviews with an EV start-up company, experts in the EV field, government officials in charge of the national EV projects, and EV end-users. Extensive literature related to success stories of EV adoption in other countries was conducted as the basis for this study. The results showed that key stakeholders agree that EV technology has reached a high readiness level in technology development. Most of the stakeholders voted that the readiness bottleneck is commercialization, safety, and integration parameters. Furthermore, an elaborate policy recommendation gathered from both literature reviews and interviews with related stakeholders is presented.

The COVID‐19 crisis has had a great impact on Japanese society. The author is rapidly going online and trying to make the transition to a new way of life. This study discusses the topics before and after the COVID‐19 pandemic in Japan. Then, smart approaches to waste management for post‐COVID‐19 smart cities in Japan are described by illustrating the results of the author's research group. Specifically, the author states that virtual reality can be an effective solution for remote education. The work chain management system contributes to the promotion of cashless in addition to the traceability of waste. The multi‐benefits mobility system that supports self‐driving will contribute to the automatic garbage collection by linking it to smart garbage bins. Besides, remote control of waste incineration facilities and robotic arms in waste treatment and recycling facilities will take on more importance. The author believes that the COVID‐19 crisis could be an opportunity to accelerate smart city initiatives in Japan.

In Japan, mechanical plastic recycling has been widely practiced. In recent years, the chemical recycling method has been gaining interest, especially due to its high-quality products similar to virgin materials. Understanding the environmental impact of both methods from the energy consumption standpoint is crucial so that attempts to preserve plastic resources can be based in the most energy-sustainable way. This research aims to determine the environmental impact of mechanical recycling and two types of chemical recycling technologies (coke oven and gasification) by analyzing their energy usage and environmental loads. The results relating to the electricity consumption and water usage show that mechanical recycling results in a 17% share of global warming potential (GWP), coke oven 51%, and gasification 32%. Although mechanical recycling results in a lower GWP, chemical recycling yields highly valuable products and byproducts that can be reused in its processes, such as steam and industrial water, reducing the overall environmental load. These recovered materials are also potentially useful for other industrial processes in an industrial symbiosis ecosystem.

With Japan facing workforce shortages and the need for enhanced recycling systems due to an aging population and increasing environmental challenges, automation in recycling facilities has become a key component for advancing sustainability goals. This study presents the development of an automated sorting robot to replace manual processes in beverage container recycling, aiming to address environmental, social, and economic sustainability by optimizing resource efficiency and reducing labor demands. Using artificial intelligence (AI) for image recognition and high-speed suction-based grippers, the robot effectively sorts various container types, including PET bottles and clear and colored glass bottles, demonstrating a pathway toward more sustainable waste management practices. The findings indicate that stabilizing items on the sorting line may enhance acquisition success, although clear container detection remains an AI challenge. This research supports the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by advancing recycling technology to improve waste processing efficiency, thus contributing to reduced pollution, resource conservation, and a sustainable recycling infrastructure. Further development of gripper designs to handle deformed or liquid-containing containers is required to enhance the system’s overall sustainability impact in the recycling sector.

Due to its ability to recover both material and energy from organic waste, biogas technology is considered one of the best technology for treating organic waste. While in many emerging Asian countries more than 50% of municipal waste is organic waste, the amount of organic waste treated with biogas technology remains very limited. This study identified key challenges faced by practitioners in sustaining biogas plants from literature and interviewed a number of sustainably operating biogas plant managers and, based on the findings, developed an implementation framework to help decision makers and practitioners in planning a sustainable municipal organic waste biogas plant facility.