Waste Prevention: The Environmental and Economic Benefits for Canada
Preface
The National Zero Waste Council (NZWC) was created in 2013 by Metro Vancouver as a leadership initiative to advance a waste prevention agenda across Canada. The Council is a collaboration of leaders from governments, business, business associations, nongovernment organizations, and community groups active in promoting waste prevention at its source and accelerating a transition to a circular economy in Canada.
About Waste Prevention
Waste prevention consists of actions that prevent or reduce waste from being created in the first place. This does not refer to recycling. While recycling is important, it is an activity that occurs after a product or material is used or consumed. Ambitious recycling and material recovery programs have increased the amount of waste diverted from landfill, but these approaches fall short of achieving zero waste objectives. The linear economy has created a system where decisions made in the early stages of a product’s lifecycle (e.g. during the design, manufacturing and packaging stages) are disconnected from the cost and challenges of managing those materials at end-of-life. This disconnect is likely a “fundamental driver for the steady increase in disposable products and packaging, which in turn may be part of the reason that national and global environmental burdens from materials extraction, manufacturing, and distribution have increased steadily.”
A focused effort to prevent the creation of waste will mean fewer natural resources are extracted and less energy is used in the production, distribution and consumption of products. It also means that less spending, public or private, will be needed for recycling and disposal programs. Waste prevention provides a magnitude of opportunities for Canada to create green jobs and grow a low-carbon economy while mitigating pollution including greenhouse gas emissions.
Waste Prevention and the Circular Economy
Business as usual will no longer be accepted as companies are realizing the financial and environmental risks associated with the linear economy. Numerous factors are driving the growing interest in a circular economy – the negative social, cultural and environmental impacts of resource extraction, commitments to climate action, and a desire to rebuild local economies. The circular economy is the new standard for sustainable business. In a circular economy, manufacturers deliberately design out waste and pollution at the outset, keeping products and materials in continual cycles of use and reuse, and regenerate natural systems. It offers fresh opportunities for businesses and communities to more effectively compete and function in a resource-constrained and carbon-neutral world.
Waste prevention is the first step to achieving a circular economy. As this strategy is adopted across sectors, there will be less demand for the extraction of virgin resources and businesses can reorganize to use what was once seen as waste as an input.
Findings of this Report
While similar work has been developed in other countries, Waste Prevention: The Environmental and Economic Benefits for Canada is a first for identifying the economic benefits of focusing on waste prevention interventions in Canada. The report examines the potential economic and environmental benefits of waste prevention interventions in six important Canadian sectors:
construction
manufacturing
healthcare
agriculture
plastics
retail
Each waste prevention intervention is examined for its potential to reduce emissions, create jobs and reduce waste, among other benefits. Interventions examined include utilizing new technology, designing products for resale, reuse and repair, reducing the volume of input materials, capitalizing on goods-as-a-service business models and finding new markets for unused outputs.
It is important to note that the waste prevention interventions examined here are neither exhaustive nor prioritized for action. They are simply examples of waste prevention opportunities that have been identified through our research. Having said that, these case studies identify outstanding financial and economic benefits for businesses and governments who are willing to undertake or legislate waste prevention measures. The authors estimate the impact of the interventions featured in this report are the annual avoidance of 4.9 million tonnes of waste (including 1.1 million tonnes of plastics waste), 5 million tonnes of avoided CO2e emissions and the generation of almost 20,000 jobs and $41 billion in additional revenue.
This research has uncovered significant opportunities for businesses to improve environmental, social and economic outcomes through the implementation of high impact waste prevention however these opportunities are just the tip of the iceberg. We hope this report will trigger creative thinking in businesses committed to using Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors to guide their decision-making as well as governments who can develop policies and invest in projects that address the barriers identified in this report and facilitate changes that will advance waste prevention in Canada.