The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal is submitting a brief called Accélération de l’économie circulaire à Montréal : une occasion de positionner la métropole et ses entreprises comme leaders en économie verte (Accelerating the Circular Economy in Montréal: An Opportunity to Position the City and its Businesses as Green Economy Leaders) to Montréal’s Commission sur le développement économique et urbain et l’habitation as part of the consultation on Montréal’s circular economy roadmap.
The Chamber supports Ville de Montréal’s desire to develop a circular economy roadmap. This transition is a major challenge for our society. It is becoming necessary to guarantee the sustainability and resilience of our environment, but also the economic growth of our city.
The circular economy is a significant opportunity for Montréal businesses. It is a catalyst for Montréal’s leadership in sustainability and for the innovative initiatives of the business ecosystem. Montréal will need to be committed to working with public sector partners, grassroots organizations and businesses to promote circularity in its economy. The next steps must be taken with rigour, transparency and agility.
Therefore, the Chamber is making the following eight recommendations for a successful roadmap:
Recommendation 1: Work with academic institutions and business stakeholders to make tools available for businesses for identifying circular economy opportunities.
Recommendation 2: Roll out a major communication effort and direct businesses to the tools and support that fit their area of activity.
Recommendation 3: Work with sectoral clusters and field organizations to deliver digital circular economy solutions in business, promoting collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and resources.
Recommendation 4: Present a clear vision with a detailed timeline of the circular economy measures and new regulations put forward by the city.
Recommendation 5: Appoint accountable officials who will see to good coordination and agile application of the appropriate systems for businesses.
Recommendation 6: Lead the way in sustainable and innovative municipal procurement, with a particular focus on products and services that meet circularity criteria.
Recommendation 7: Keep cooperation running smoothly between the city and the provincial and federal governments to maximize circular economy initiative rollout in the city’s jurisdictions and limit the regulatory burden on businesses.
Recommendation 8: Encourage urban innovation by leveraging sector and business collaboration in public and private circular economy initiatives.
Download the study (in french only)