Socio-Economic and Environmental Study of the Canadian Remanufacturing Sector and Other Value Retention Processes in the Context of a Circular Economy

This document is a report on the work carried out under Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) bid solicitation 500 004 3872, Socio-Economic and Environmental Study of the Canadian Remanufacturing Sector and Other Value-Retention Processes (VRPs) in the Context of a Circular Economy (CE).

Remanufacturing and other VRPs have been identified as a way to reduce waste and other adverse environmental impacts through prolonging the useful life of a product or its components. In addition, these activities can have enormous economic and social benefits: they are generally labour-intensive and require skilled labour to perform. This study has been carried out, on behalf of ECCC, to quantify the potential benefits of VRPs in Canada; the costs associated with carrying them out; and to identify barriers to the growth of these activities in Canada.

The findings of this study will help inform the development of a national strategy to encourage the remanufacturing of products and other VRPs in Canada. This strategy might involve a mix of measures, such as regulatory or market interventions, to reduce the barriers identified and stimulate activity in industries that have a high potential for remanufacturing and VRP growth. This initiative is part of ECCC’s ongoing work to support a circular economy approach for the management of products and waste, and to implement the comprehensive federal agenda on zero plastic waste.