The day sounds were born from plastic bottles and empty cans

On May 3rd, the "Garbage Festival" was held at the Osaka ATC Green Eco Plaza and Umiere Square in ATC. It was a creative day where discarded materials such as plastic bottles, empty cans, and cardboard were transformed into musical instruments and performed on a stage by the sea.

This is all thanks to the comprehensive cooperation agreement signed on April 30th, three days before the event, between steAm Co., Ltd. and ATC (Asia Pacific Trade Center Co., Ltd.). This time, we will introduce the background of that agreement and the initiatives that were born from the "Garbage Festival".

A new collaboration will begin at ATC on April 30th.

On April 30, 2026, a comprehensive cooperation agreement signing ceremony was held at the Osaka ATC Green Eco Plaza on the 11th floor of the ATC ITM building between Asia Pacific Trade Center Co., Ltd. and steAm Co., Ltd.

The signing ceremony was attended by Sachiko Nakajima, President and CEO of steAm Co., Ltd., and Shigeru Kimura, President and CEO of Asia Pacific Trade Center Co., Ltd.

Mr. Nakajima is a mathematician and a jazz pianist. He served as the theme project producer for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, and has been working to promote and implement STEAM education with the philosophy of "expanding a playful world and unlocking the creativity of each individual."

This agreement is not a one-off initiative, but rather a commitment to promoting continuous collaboration centered on education, creativity, and community co-creation. By leveraging the strengths of both parties, we aim to expand the creation of spaces that nurture the next generation of "creative power" from Osaka to the entire country.

The day garbage became music

Just three days after the signing of the comprehensive cooperation agreement, on May 3rd, that cooperation quickly took concrete form.

The "Garbage Festival," co-sponsored by steAm Co., Ltd. and ATC, was held at Osaka ATC Green Eco Plaza and Umiere Square.

We held two talk sessions in the morning.

In the "Circular Regions, Opening Up the Future" session, researchers, practitioners, and representatives from the Expo Association took the stage to discuss community co-creation with waste as the theme.

In addition, in the session titled "Learning from Garbage, Creating the Future," elementary school principals and university student entrepreneurs exchanged opinions on the possibilities of inquiry-based learning and education.

In the afternoon, we held a workshop where participants made musical instruments using readily available recycled materials such as plastic bottles, empty cans, and cardboard. Children and adults alike could participate, regardless of their musical experience, and were able to take their completed instruments and immediately participate in a stage performance.

The event concluded with a live performance by the KURAGE Band on a stage by the sea. High school light music clubs from Osaka Prefecture and attendees joined in, playing instruments they had made themselves using garbage.

Many attendees shared the moment when something that would have otherwise been discarded was reborn as music.

Expanding the circle of creativity from Sakishima

The ITM building at ATC houses a collection of facilities supporting startups and permanent exhibition spaces.

Players from diverse fields such as technology, design, environment, welfare, and robotics are active within the same facility. In addition, the incubation facility, which is jointly operated with the city of Osaka, is carrying out a wide range of initiatives, from proof-of-concept experiments for IoT and AI to support for independent creators.

The Osaka ATC Green Eco Plaza, which served as the venue for this partnership agreement and the "Garbage Festival," is one of the important locations for this initiative.

In addition to its long-standing role as a hub for disseminating information on environmental businesses, it is now expanding its possibilities as a place for creative education and collaborative activities.

Looking ahead, the "After Expo Jellyfish Festival 2026 SUMMER" is also planned. Details will be announced at a later date, and the creative network that was born from the Expo will continue to expand, with ATC as the stage.

Additionally, ATC Hall is scheduled to host a "Whisky Festival" on June 26th and 27th.

As a place where diverse people, companies, and communities can come together, ATC will continue to take on new challenges.

The connections forged at the World Expo are developing into new forms at ATC. Moving forward, ATC will continue to strive to create new value as a hub for encounters and co-creation among diverse people.

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