LoopedIn: November 2024

Innovation is at the core of transforming business practices, industries, and supply chains from their current linear structures to more circular models. The circular economy transition across all sectors can be enabled by digital, physical, and biological technologies and platforms, from artificial intelligence (AI), to robotics, blockchain, nano-technology, and bio-based materials – disruptive technologies that are part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as coined by the World Economic Forum.

These technologies can enable a shift towards circular business models by increasing energy and process efficiencies, reducing waste, improving information/data sharing and networking, enhancing supply chain transparency for the flow of goods and secondary materials, supporting circular design, and the adoption of bio-based materials.

More specifically, bio-based feedstocks – from animal proteins, plants, fungi, bacteria, algae, and more – provide basic building blocks that are delivering opportunities to rethink our products and materials, to reduce environmental impact, and unlock opportunities for regenerative product design, material innovation, and exciting new applications.

A lot is happening in this space right across Canada, with examples of innovative Canadian companies — such as:

• Waste Robotics which integrates advanced waste handling processes, computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and state-of-the-art robotic technologies to enable smaller, more precise, safer, and more profitable waste recycling facilities.
• Mechasys, a company developing digital solutions for the construction industry allowing construction plans to be projected 3D onto the floor, walls, and ceiling minimizing construction mistakes and reducing waste.
• Erthos that is reimagining the building blocks of plastics through sustainable, bio-based, compostable feedstocks and leveraging a proprietary machine learning AI platform that streamlines complex R&D processes.

The circular economy-focused innovation agenda in Canada continues to expand. This year, Canada is co-hosting the Eureka Program alongside Germany with a focus on ‘Circular Value Creation’ – the world’s biggest public network for international cooperation in R&D and innovation involving 45 countries.

Provincially, the Government of Alberta and Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) last week launched a $40 million Advanced Materials Challenge. This new funding competition is focused on advancing technology solutions that shape the circular economy and create low emissions products, including plastics, concrete, food, wood, carbon materials, chemicals, and more.

Leveraging Canada’s applied research knowledge-base and supporting entrepreneurs and business innovation can provide benefits that support economic, social, and environmental objectives.  Linking this innovation ecosystem to accelerate circular economy efforts in Canada presents a further win-win.

View Full Newsletter