From Tokyo to the World: Transforming Food Waste Into a Global Economic Opportunity

Building a Sustainable Network

Born in Taiwan, Chang moved to Tokyo in the early 90s when he was a teenager. During this time, Chang went through plenty of upheaval, from moving homes often to exiting education, eventually transitioning to work in the Global Accounts division at Hewlett Packard, a multinational information technology company in 2003. 

Chang would later return to education, gaining his master's degree in business studies, which opened a lot of avenues for him. "In 2018, I joined Amazon Web Services to support startup founders."  

It was through this role that Chang first became aware of Cool Innovation and was introduced to Sakashita Shigeru, the company's founder, in 2021. "Once I understood their technology I thought that it could change the world. I was really drawn to what they were doing." In the early stages of the company, there was not much someone from a non-engineering background could do, so Chang stayed in touch until the beginning of 2023. After assessing the company's goals and vision, Chang worked hard to build trust, a necessary part of Japanese business, and has been fully on board for just over a year.

A Refreshing Take on Food Preservation

While Chang is now the Chief Operations Officer of Cool Innovation, the technology itself is down to Sakashita. "Cool Innovation's technology extends the shelf life of vegetables and fruits for much longer, in some instances up to ten times longer, without any chemical sprays or special packaging," Chang explains. "Take this as an example: Japan has some very expensive and delicate fruit, which can go bad very quickly. In the instance of something like Shine Muscat grapes, we can extend their shelf life for up to three months, no issue. Strawberries can last another month and a half while keeping cardboard boxes dry." This is considered impossible in the industry but Cool Innovation's technology has been proven and adopted by companies in multiple customer segments.

"Current refrigeration technology is simply blowing out cold air to cool down the environment, which dries things up," Chang explains. "There is no way to maintain the humidity above 90% due to frosting. The high humidity and low temperature are what the fruits and vegetables need to extend their 'lives,' and our technology is able to achieve both." By controlling the humidity to suit the produce, they can ensure that it stays fresher for longer, meaning less food waste.

"Many people have this notion that we don't have enough food for everyone, but we do," Chang states, "We are simply wasting about half of all vegetables and fruits along the supply chain." Tackling food waste is a global issue, with one of the SDGs (12.3) being to halve food waste by 2030. Currently, Japan is one of only four G20 countries on track to meet this, and Cool Innovation hopes to make a significant contribution. 

It is not just the preservation of food produce that this technology offers, as Chang adds, "Our technology only requires half the energy compared to conventional refrigerators. Whether it's a warehouse container or transport container, we only need 50% of the energy currently being used." On its site, Cool Innovation states it can "reduce food waste from harvest to distribution by 95% and reduce CO2 emissions by 98%." This kind of bold goal is important to hit the world's SDG targets.

Growing Brand Awareness

It took some time to get Cool Innovation off the ground, but eventually, Sakashita found support. "In February 2020, Cool Innovation received financial support from Japan's Ministry of the Environment to establish a new cold chain for fresh produce and our case study in the Philippines shows a 20 times ROI for a local food trader," Chang says, "which allowed us to officially start the company." Chang wants to see the technology expand further, and that means brand recognition and network building. Recently, Cool Innovation got just that thanks to SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024. This is an annual event that brings together innovators and businesses that are creating designs that help solve global issues.

Cool Innovation took part in the SusHi Tech Challenge, a global pitch contest for startups in Japan and from abroad. Out of the 507 companies that applied in 2024, Cool Innovation was one of the seven companies that were selected as pitch finalists. "Participating in SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 was an amazing experience," Chang says, "We applied to the event, and we got sent a notice that we had been selected as a semi-finalist which was fantastic." 

Being selected as a finalist brings much-desired recognition and prestige, "It has significant value," Chang states, "When we talk to people, they often mention that we were finalists at the SusHi Tech Challenge, and we can incorporate it into our resume." Chang hopes that this will not be a one-and-done thing for them, "We want to participate again next year to win the prize." Winners are awarded 10 million yen to put toward their business. 

Along with participating in these types of events, having its headquarters located in Tokyo comes with many benefits for Cool Innovation, "Tokyo has a lot of resources when it comes to sustainable high tech, such as those seen as SusHi Tech. Tokyo is one of the best cities to be in." Having their headquarters in the same city as many of their clients is also beneficial. "If you have a location in Tokyo or nearby it is very easy to demonstrate what you can do for potential customers, especially if your hardware is as big as ours."

When it comes to Tokyo's approach to sustainability, Chang believes "efficiency is really the key. In general, if you can significantly improve the efficiency of anything, then that becomes more sustainable as you use less energy and resources. The infrastructure, the design, even the cleanliness makes it a very efficient and easy city to live in." 

Innovators like Chang could be the driving force in transforming Tokyo into a thriving international hub for education, innovation, entertainment, and global business—including, of course, sustainable solutions for the future. On this note, Chang hopes that from their base in Tokyo they can bring Cool Innovation's technology to the world, to help pave the way to a more sustainable and greener future, one that has eliminated food waste and made food shortages a thing of the past. 

Dan Chang

Born in Taiwan and raised in Japan, Chang started his career at HP Japan. After returning to Taiwan, he played a pivotal role in helping semiconductor and electronics firms expand globally. In 2012, Chang launched his first startup and later co-founded two others, before joining Amazon in 2018. He has also supported startups by refining their global business strategies and assisting with fundraising, achieving a 3.5x increase in valuations.

SusHi Tech Tokyo, short for Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo, is a Tokyo-based concept that aims to create sustainable new value by overcoming global urban challenges through cutting-edge technology, diverse ideas, and digital expertise.

SusHi Tech Tokyo | Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo