Plan
Responsible procurement strategy
Explore the many circular economy actions you can take in your business today. For each one, find the tools, the main resources and inspiring case studies to help you move from idea to action.
Action 1
Develop a responsible purchasing policy in business
Responsible purchasing in business is a principle for purchasing goods and services that meet environmental, economic and social criteria. Many responsible purchasing efforts are within reach, such as buying from local businesses or suppliers based on their environmental measures.
Guides and reference material
- Network of organizations for responsible purchasing
- Stimulate the circular economy with responsible purchasing – ECPAR
- Reference framework for responsible purchasing – Government of Quebec
- Guide on developing a responsible purchasing policy – Ville de Montréal
- Environmentally responsible policy to copy from freely – Incita.coop
- Policy on environmentally responsible events
- Directory of suppliers – Conseil québécois des événements écoresponsables
- Circular economy map – Concertation Montréal
- L’OCR – Observatoire de la consommation responsable
- Montréal Circulaire
- Québec Circulaire
Financing services and programs
Sample case
Complete rechargeable battery service – GPS Climat
To reduce toxic waste from the overconsumption of disposable AA and AAA batteries in the workplace, a major television network switched to rechargeable batteries, in addition to introducing an effective charging and delivery system that extends battery life. The network consumed 10,000 single-use batteries every year. Batteries can now be charged up to 150 times before disposal.
Réseau-Bureautique for environmentally friendly office furniture
Le Collectif Bienvenue – Welcome Collective
Action 2
Facilitate resource and equipment sharing between employees or businesses
To limit the production of good, products, equipment and materials, it may be a good idea to introduce a platform for second hand exchanges between businesses to extend their life to find new uses, or to have a platform for renting goods.
Financing services and programs
Sample case
Partage Club: A concrete example
Simplex: tool rental
Action 3
Mutualize resources through inter-company synergy
Enable businesses to exchange resources, goods and raw materials. This offers a second life to a company’s unused or unsold materials by transforming them into inputs for another.
Services, support and financing
Sample case
Atelier Espace Fabrik | Mutualization between designers and the studio
To reduce fabric waste and integrate circular economy practices, Atelier Espace Fabrik recovers destocked fabric from the ends of local designer’s collections to reuse it for creative projects. It selects quality fabric in good condition from creators to make it available through the studio.
Café William | Reuse of jute bags
Tools
To go further
Take the next step by consulting the evolving directory of relevant circular economy resources.
You’ll find more actions to take, as well as expert advice.