Plan
Business meetings and events
This category includes activities related to business event hosting, management and planning.
These proposed actions are for businesses that operate in events, restaurants and hospitality, as well as businesses that hold annual events for clients and employees. Do you want to reduce the environmental impact of your activities? The circular economy offers solutions such as sorting and reclaiming food surpluses or implementing ride sharing or car sharing for your business talent.
Action 1
Prioritize renting and sharing event equipment
Event equipment can be expensive and needed only for one occasion. It is a good idea to have access to an event equipment and goods rental or sharing platform, to reduce costs and promote resource exchanges and sharing.
Guides and reference material
Support services and funding programs
Sample case
Success stories for reuseable containers with Retournzy
The Montréal non-profit social economy business Retournzy offers rental services for reusable containers and dishes and professional washing to support organizations in making the transition to environmentally responsible practices and, ultimately, reducing at source single-use food packaging waste. Since 2022, its stainless-steel reusable containers have prevented over 5,000 single-use containers from ending up in the landfill.
Action 2
Reduce food waste and recover food surpluses
An estimated 1.2 million tons of food is lost or wasted every year in Quebec. To reduce this waste, we need to better evaluate how much food is needed and reduce portions, redistribute food surpluses to local community aid organizations, enable the use of personal containers and prioritize reusable products for food containers, dishes, utensils and napkins.
Guides and reference material
Support services and funding programs
Sample case
Recovering organic waste at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel
Montréal’s Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 1,000 tons annually. To achieve this goal, it became the first hotel in the Fairmont Group to adopt the Solucycle robot, a Quebec technology that automates recycling, transformation and recovery of food residue from some 3,000 meals the hotel serves every day. Residue is first processed into organic sludge, then treated at a biomethanization plant and converted to biogas.
Objective: Zero Waste, La Transformerie
Rescapés+: Mutual aid and mutualization in action – La Transformerie
Action 3
Choose environmentally responsible suppliers
Many Quebec businesses offer innovative solutions in the circular economy. Prioritize local suppliers with sustainable practices who purchase locally. This reduces the ecological imprint of activities and supports the local economy and green initiatives.
Guides and reference material
Support services and funding programs
Self-serve reusable containers
Sample case
Refundable containers replacing single-use cups, GPS Climat
Action 4
Implement sustainable travel solutions for employees
There are many options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from employee travel. For example, introducing a ride sharing system in companies or using car sharing and ride sharing services designed for businesses.
Guides and reference material
Support services and funding programs
- Centres de gestion des déplacements, ARTM
- Sustainable mobility, Centres de gestion des déplacements du Grand Montréal
- Netlift, dynamic ride sharing application
- OPUS & Cie, Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
- Sustainable mobility, Coop Carbone
- Mobis Accelerator, Coop Carbone
- Trying out electric bikes at work? Ask your employer, Équiterre
- Bike rentals in Montréal, BIXI Montréal
- Communauto Québec, Car sharing service
- Covoiturage.ca, Urban and inter-city ride sharing
- Ride sharing – AmigoExpress, Collaborative inter-city transportation
- Offset My (GHG) Emissions, Coop Carbone
- Employeurs en mouvement project
Sample case
Université Laval
To encourage its students to choose sustainable transportation, Université Laval developed a travel management plan with the consulting firm Mobili-T. Students and faculty benefited from secured pedestrian paths, a free ridesharing platform, a guaranteed ride home program, discounts on public transit and secure bike shelters and garages.
Groupe Optel
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.