Our built environment is an amazing interconnection of the systems that supports how we live, travel, connect and thrive. However, these delicate and complex systems are at risk of failure as the effects of climate change, social unrest and political turbulence become more prevalent.
We’ve reached a point where we need a complete reset of how we design, construct, operate and dismantle our systems. We can’t build new models for change on the back of a broken foundation. We need a new story that works for all.
Coreo is an award-winning company that advises and guides industry and government through their circular economy aspirations at both a strategic and operational level. Recognizing that the transition to a circular economy is systemic, we work on projects in all key sectors of the global economy including mining, agriculture, education, tourism, construction and property.
We’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the world’s most recognizable organizations to operationalize the circular economy including Rio Tinto, BHP, Lendlease and the city of Sydney. Throughout all of these experiences, I can confirm wholeheartedly that catalyzing transformative change all starts with stories that inspires and excite.
Stories are of immense importance because they enable us to imagine things collectively and act collaboratively — two cornerstones in the transition to a circular economy.
But what is the circular economy and more important, what is it not?
Well, for starters, let’s clear up our current status quo: the linear economy.
A linear economy is structured to “take, make and waste.” Meaning that raw materials are collected, then transformed into products that are used until they are finally discarded as waste.
What experts and non-experts know for sure is that if the linear economic model is not replaced, the world will approach a tipping point where it will lose the capacity to sustain itself.
In contrast, the circular economy is about integration so as to enable feedback loops and synergies. It is an economic model designed to be restorative and regenerative.
The circular economy is built upon multiple schools of thought and theories and as such, it often can be quite a nebulous and contested concept. To help achieve some clarity, and to ensure that the stories we tell each other about the future we need are rooted in fact, let me dispel a few of the more common circular economy myths:
Myth 1: It’s all about better waste management
In a circular economy, waste is eliminated through better design, rather than developing novel ways to use waste that already has been created. It focuses on upstream innovation, not better waste management. There is a clear distinction between designing from waste and designing out waste.
Myth 2: It’s only about recycling more
The focus of a circular economy is on maintaining products, components and materials at their highest possible value for the longest possible time. This can be achieved through reuse, repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing strategies. Recycling is part of the circular economy, but it represents the “loop of last resort” when other options for products and materials are no longer available. Say it with me, folks: recycling is not the answer.
Myth 3: Efficiency is the answer
Traditional sustainability efforts have focused on efficiency tactics — reducing the amount of material and energy used in production processes and aiming to lower environmental impacts. A strategy focused on reducing the negative impacts of our activities — or making them more efficient — can go only so far. We need to ensure systems are effective, not just efficient. Remember, it’s not about doing less bad but rather more good.
History tells us that a values shift is triggered by the creation of a new story of how we want to live.
Myth 4: It’s just a fancy word for sustainability
The circular economy is a fundamentally different vision for the industrial economy in direct opposition to the incumbent take-make-waste linear model. It focuses on industry-led transformation and systems-level change, drawing inspiration from nature rather than individual action or guilt. It is about designing differently from the outset, rather than mitigating and reducing the impacts of something that already has been created. Key takeaway? Sustainability describes a state we are aiming to achieve, and circular economy gives us the tools to get there.
Myth 5: Waste-to-energy is part of the circular economy
In many countries, incineration — the burning of waste such as plastics to produce energy — is viewed as a valuable pathway. But let’s be clear: Mass incineration isn’t part of a well-designed system. For example, in the case of plastics, taking an energy source (oil), turning it into an important material using more energy, used for a very short period of time, only to use more energy to turn it back into another form of energy, is not an example of a high-value process. There’s also increasing evidence that waste-to-energy plants can lock cities, regions and even countries into needing a steady flow of waste to make these plants economically viable — essentially creating a demand for waste rather than designing it out.
History tells us that a values shift is triggered by the creation of a new story of how we want to live. We need to make sure we’re telling the whole story of the transition to a circular economy because the opportunities for transformative change are abundant if we’re brave enough to step into the circle.
This article was written using resources created by the Higher Education team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which Jaine Morris contributed to.
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.
Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.
Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.
Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.
Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.
Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.
According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.
That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.
People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.
That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.
Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.
That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.
CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.
This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.
While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.
Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.
The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.
Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.
A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.
Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.
“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.
“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”
American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.
It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.
“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.
“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”
A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.
Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.
“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.
Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”
“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.
“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
