The circular economy, a source of innovation

Quebec’s economy is 3.5% circular, according to RECYC-Québec’s Circularity Index Report (2021.) This means that the majority of resources used by the economy to meet its needs are not circular.

“Based on an operating model inspired by the ecosystem concept, the circular economy involves practices based on reduction at source, reuse, recycling and recovery of products and their components. This system aims to dissociate economic growth from the consumption of natural resources and energy by optimizing their use at all stages of the product life cycle.” – Government Sustainable Development Strategy (2015-2020)

The circular economy

This approach extends the life cycle of resources and initiates a transition to the circular economy, an economy that does more and better with less.

The Quebec circular economy model, promoted by RECYC-QUÉBEC, has two main objectives: (1) rethinking and (2) optimizing the use of resources through various strategies.

Click on the diagram to enlarge

Proposals for innovative strategies and business models:

ECO-DESIGN:
Integrate environmental criteria from the design stage of the product or service

01

RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT:
Integrating environmental, social, and economic criteria into the purchasing processes for goods and services

02

OPERATIONS OPTIMIZATION:
Making the most of human, financial, and technological resources

03

THE SHARING ECONOMY:
Exchanging products and services between individuals

04

SHORT-TERM RENTAL

05

MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, AND RECONDITIONING:
Maintaining the value of a product in an economic system, thus extending its lifespan beyond its usual expected lifespan.

06

GIFTING AND RESALE

07

THE FUNCTIONALITY ECONOMY:
Selling a service associated with a product, rather than the product itself

08

INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY: Sharing resources and energy between companies in a given area

09

RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING:
Recovering waste, including organic waste, into substances, materials, or products for their original purpose or for other purposes

10

WASTE-TO-ENERGY:
converting waste into fuel

11

Circular economy in Quebec,

Quebeccirculaire.org is the platform that brings together the players in the circular economy in Quebec, where you can find resources, initiatives, news and a network of expertise on the subject.

Quebeccirculaire.org

Synergie Québec community

We are part of the Synergie Québec community, a network of organisations working on the circular economy and industrial symbiosis in Quebec.

synergiequebec.ca