Circular Economy Month

In 2016, the Province of British Columbia (i.e., the B.C. Government) released its Climate Leadership Plan (CLP). One element of the CLP is to develop a waste-to-resource strategy for the province of British Columbia, as well as a focus for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by diverting organics from landfill. In line with the CLP, the B.C. Ministry of Environment engaged the Delphi Group in early 2017 to undertake research designed to profile circular economy best practices from leading jurisdictions around the world that could help inform the B.C. Government’s waste-to-resource strategy. The objective of this work was to provide an analysis of circular economy initiatives / actions with respect to their policy effectiveness and impacts, as well as the opportunities and challenges that have arisen from governments taking these actions.

As part of the study, the Delphi Group conducted extensive secondary research on eight leading jurisdictions and their circular economy policies and programs. Jurisdictions covered as part of this study include: Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Ontario, Scotland, and Sweden. In addition, the Delphi Group consulted with 20 government agencies, industry organizations, policy think-tanks, and other sector experts to gather additional important resources, insights, and data to support the research. This report provides a summary of the research and analysis undertaken by the Delphi Group as part of the jurisdictional scan for circular economy policy best practices.

“The current response to the global climate crisis represents an incomplete picture. This paper argues that putting in place a circular economy is a fundamental step towards achieving climate targets.

Such a shift moves us beyond efforts to minimise emissions in our extractive linear system. It offers a systematic response to the crisis by both reducing emissions and increasing resilience to its effects. The benefits encompass meeting other goals such as creating more liveable cities, distributing value more widely in the economy, and spurring innovation. These attributes make the circular economy a potent contributor to achieving zerocarbon prosperity…”

“There is only one planet Earth, yet by 2050, the world will be consuming as if there were three. Global consumption of materials such as biomass, fossil fuels, metals and minerals is expected to double in the next forty years, while annual waste generation is projected to increase by 70% by 2050.

As half of total greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress come from resource extraction and processing, the European Green Deal launched a concerted strategy for a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and competitive economy. Scaling up the circular economy from front-runners to the mainstream economic players will make a decisive contribution to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and decoupling economic growth from resource use, while ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the EU and leaving no one behind…”

“The National Zero Waste Council (NZWC)’s Circular Economy Working Group commissioned this scan of concepts and European best practices related to circular cities to help inform and promote the adoption of circular city approaches in Canada.

The scan involved desktop research and key informant interviews. Interview subjects included representatives from within Canada to ground-truth the research in a Canadian context, and representatives of Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Circle Economy to obtain input on leading European examples. Abundant desktop research sources were available to compile ‘snapshot’ overviews of leading circular city examples; as such, no interviews were conducted with European city representatives. Subsequent work may include further refinement of this summary report, development of a primer, and development of a webinar or knowledge platform to support Canadian cities in transitioning to a circular economy…”

“This toolkit is a how-to guide for businesses of all sizes, and sectors, to explore the opportunities of circular modes of design, production and service. It updates an earlier toolkit published in 2015.

The guide draws on a wide range of existing resources and research to define key terms, outline how businesses can benefit, and present case studies from around the world. References adapted for each chapter of the toolkit are listed at the back; additional resources are provided in each chapter. The toolkit covers three key areas:

• BUSINESS STRATEGY: how to develop a circular business strategy;
• DESIGN INNOVATION: steps to include circular concepts in the design process; and
• STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT: how to engage top stakeholders in the circular initiative.”