Eiji Yamamoto

For nearly three decades, Eiji Yamamoto has stood at the intersection of industrial innovation and environmental responsibility, transforming how businesses think about production, efficiency, and sustainability. From his early days leading operations in Japan’s top-performing manufacturing firms to his current global mission, his journey reflects a rare balance between industrial progress and ecological foresight.

Based in the Netherlands, Eiji serves as the CEO of YEJapan and Founder of Circular E, two ventures united by a single purpose: building a world where economic growth and environmental integrity coexist. His work empowers technology-driven start-ups, manufacturers, and local governments to embrace the principles of a circular economy, creating systems where value circulates rather than depletes.

Before founding his current enterprises, Eiji spent nearly three decades at KEYENCE Corporation, one of Japan’s most efficiency-driven companies. As a manager and later a global sales leader, he designed strategies that enhanced energy management and introduced traceability systems for major automotive and battery manufacturers. These innovations laid the foundation for what the world now recognizes as the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a pivotal tool in global sustainability and transparency standards.

But it was a transformative experience, standing before a mountain of waste in Asia, that reshaped his vision. It was then he realized that the true challenge wasn’t to manage waste, but to design it out entirely. This defining moment gave rise to his mantra: “Rethink Waste. Create Value.”

Through Circular E, Eiji works with cross-border industries and policymakers to reimagine how materials, data, and value flow in modern economies. He collaborates with the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) of Japan as part of Circular Partners, contributing to the national and international dialogue on sustainable development, regional revitalization, and technological transition toward a zero-waste future.

Eiji’s work represents a bridge between Japan’s precision engineering heritage and Europe’s bold experimentation in green innovation. His leadership unites policymakers, scientists, and entrepreneurs under a shared vision of regeneration, one where circularity is not just a policy concept, but a lived economic practice.

As the global manufacturing ecosystem confronts climate urgency and material scarcity, professionals like Eiji Yamamoto are redefining what it means to lead responsibly. His vision goes beyond incremental change, it calls for a complete redesign of the systems that define our future industries. In 2026 and beyond, his voice stands as a guiding force for businesses striving to move from efficiency to purpose, from growth to regeneration, and from waste to value.