Circular Procurement in the Public Sector

In March 2018 Recycling Council of Ontario spearheaded workshops with the City of Toronto Toronto to demonstrate how procurement advances the circular economy, resource efficiency, and waste minimization through engaging presentations and sector case studies, as well as other opportunities and objectives: • variety of workshop exercises on procurement • examination of roadmaps that integrate circular economy principles into procurement • evidence of benefits and learn how to quantify them in economic, social, and environmental terms • how resource efficiency and circularity can be delivered in practice Building on that experience Recycling Council of Ontario supported additional workshops, which included representatives from multiple city departments, staff directly involved in construction, as well as the architecture firms. The objective is to introduce circular business models and showcase examples that leverage procurement as a key driver for resource efficiency. As a direct result of our work with the City of Toronto, it has now committed to integrating circular procurement principles in a construction project for a new staff facility. This building will be the first to use procurement to advance circular economy in construction in Canada. Recycling Council of Ontario is supporting the City of Toronto as an advisor. Impacts anticipated from the Toronto project: 1. First circular procurement project in Canada that will set the example for other municipalities to follow. 2. Case study will be developed and shared across the country and housed online for knowledge sharing 3. Material reduction, and closing material loops across the whole life of the building 4. Building will be carbon neutral 5. Opportunities to work with an experienced circular procurement architecture firm to replicate similar projects and principles 6. Key performance indicators will be identified and measured including reduction in material use, greenhouse gas reductions, and waste diversion.