What is the circular economy?
It’s a different way of doing business, the opposite of a linear economy that moves in a straight line from resource extraction to waste disposal. In a circular economy, nothing is waste. According to the Government of Canada’s Environment and Natural Resources site:
“The circular economy retains and recovers as much value as possible from resources by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, repurposing, or recycling products and materials.”
The Canadian Bar Association’s National Magazine sees the traditional ‘take-make-waste’ linear business model as a driver of climate change. Conversely, the high demand for consumer goods contributes positively to quality of life and economic growth. To address this paradox, governments worldwide are implementing regulations addressing the design, manufacture and end-of-life management of consumer products. To create a circular model, end-of-life goods and materials are reincorporated into the production process, reducing resource input and waste output. In other words, “a meaningful right to repair is a crucial sustainability tool.”
Canada is one such government implementing regulations to address the right to repair, as part of its National Strategy to Encourage Remanufacturing and Other Value-Retention Processes. At the federal level:
- Bill C-244 passed unanimously through the House of Commons and seeks to amend the Copyright Act to “allow for the circumvention of technological protective measures (TPM’s) for the diagnosis, maintenance and repair of software driven electronic products.”
- Bill C-59, aims to amend the Competition Act to “compel suppliers to provide a means of diagnosis and repair for their products, including information, technical updates, diagnostic software or tools and related documentation and service parts so that third parties can offer repair services.”
- At the provincial level, Quebec’s Bill 29 amended its Consumer Protection Act to include a right to repair.
The CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association), in its 2022 report on Canada’s circular economy, addressed four areas where action from industry, governments, business, and civil society is warranted and needed: plastics, food, textiles and apparel, and the built environment (construction).
There are two co-leads that will use the CE Action Plan to guide strategic direction and development of the Circular Economy in Canada: Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC), and the Circular Innovation Council (CIC)
In April 2025, Canada will hold its second annual Canadian Circular Economy Summit, that aims to provide “…an opportunity for leaders across sectors and industries to come together in-person, share leading efforts and activities, and to identify the solutions, innovations, and cross-sectoral collaborations necessary for accelerating the transition to a CE in Canada.” The event will build on the current Circular Economy Action Plan for Canada (CE Action Plan 2023), that maintains a mandate to chart an implementation framework to accelerate Canada towards circularity.
Developments in this space could determine the pace of Canada’s transition to a circular and sustainable economy. Companies offering products and services to this sector will want to monitor these websites – and this blog – for opportunities in Canada.
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