Circular economy innovation in B.C.: Helping businesses create more value with less waste

Imagine a future where waste isn’t a problem, but a resource. A future where manufacturing doesn’t just consume materials, but regenerates them. That future is being built right now in British Columbia, thanks to a forward-thinking collaboration between government, academia, and local businesses.

In a circular economy, nothing is waste. It is about using valuable resources wisely, thinking about waste as a resource instead of a cost, and finding innovative ways to better the environment and the economy.

With an investment from PacifiCan, the University of British Columbia (UBC) launched a groundbreaking project, the Accelerating Circular Economy (ACE) platform, through its Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) at the Okanagan campus, to help B.C.-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement cutting-edge circular economy practices. With PacifiCan’s support, UBC’s MMRI is delivering the ACE platform and expanding its capabilities with new infrastructure, equipment, and a project management team to guide SMEs through the development and commercialization of circular products. The aim? To make circular economy practices a core part of how we do business in Canada.

What is Circularity?

Circularity is about keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible, rather than discarding them after a single use. It is a way of designing and managing products that reduces waste, conserves resources, and supports the regeneration of natural systems.

The Three Core Pillars of Circularity

1. Eliminating waste and pollution
   Creating products and systems that minimize environmental harm from the start — by preventing waste and avoiding pollution.
2. Keeping materials in use
   Extending the life of products and materials through reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling.
3. Regenerating natural systems
   Supporting and restoring ecosystems by using sustainable, nature-friendly practices.

In a circular economy, businesses and communities rethink how products are made and used — finding ways to reuse, repair, recycle, or remanufacture products. This not only helps the environment but also creates new economic opportunities.

What is an Advanced Circular Economy?

Advanced Circular Economy refers to the next generation of circular economy practices that leverage innovation, technology, and systems thinking to maximize resource efficiency, minimize environmental impact, and create long-term sustainable value.

While a traditional circular economy focuses on keeping materials in use and eliminating waste, an advanced circular economy goes further by:

• Integrating smart tech, like digital tools, to track and manage materials better.
• Applying big picture thinking to help whole industries work together to reduce waste and share resources.
• Implementing the use of better materials, including safer, recyclable, and natural materials that are easy to reuse.

Under the above paradigm shift, the ACE platform at UBC is transforming systems to be more intelligent, regenerative, and resilient in a world facing resource scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

Who’s Onboard?

UBCO’s MMRI is already partnering with leading B.C. companies to move circularity forward through the ACE platform.

Waterplay from the City of Kelowna is part of the movement toward a more sustainable global community by offering innovative aquatic play solutions. With support from the ACE platform, Waterplay is replacing legacy materials of aquatic play structures with flexible, durable, and low-footprint alternatives that can be more easily recycled in locations where the slides are deployed across the world. Visit Waterplay's website to learn more.

Advanced BioCarbon 3D, based in Trail B.C., is dedicated to providing sustainable manufacturing solutions, specializing in innovative and eco-friendly conductive 3D printing filaments made from waste wood. Their products and innovation supported by ACE are ideal for applications like circuits, sensors, and wearables, supporting circular economy principles and the development of greener manufacturing practices. Visit Advanced BioCarbon 3D's website to learn more.

Economic Impact

With a $1M+ investment from PacifiCan, the success of this collaborative initiative has already brought significant benefits to B.C.’s economy, including:

• generated over $2.9M in revenues for B.C.’s small and medium-sized businesses
• created 43 high quality jobs
• provided training for 133 highly qualified personnel, including 42 women

Learn more about PacifiCan’s support of the advanced circular economy.

Based on a study commissioned by the Government of Canada, the total GDP of industries with the capability to integrate circularity into product manufacturing in Canada is $277 billion — representing a massive economic opportunity. To build on this opportunity, the ACE initiative is an ideal complement to the UBCO’s Clean Tech Hub. While the Clean Tech Hub focuses on transforming industrial waste into valuable resources, MMRI’s ACE project targets the integration of those resources into product development — either from the beginning of a product’s life cycle or as a replacement for synthetic materials.

These multi-disciplinary and multi-sectorial partnerships show how leaders across B.C. are innovating to create a more circular, sustainable approach to product development, an important step toward accelerating Canada’s transition to a circular economy.