Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL)- Guelph’s new initiative strengthens link between circular economy and actions to address climate change
Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL), a Smart Cities initiative of City of Guelph and County of Wellington, launched the Climate and Circularity Solutions Hub(Hub) on September 19.
The Hub provides expertise, research and strategies to help regional businesses and community organizations adopt circular economy actions to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. It will also further Guelph’s commitment to the United Nations Race to Zero campaign and becoming a net zero carbon community by 2050.
Leveraging COIL’s existing regional networks, infrastructure and expertise, the Hub understands, develops and shares specific strategies that reduce waste, creates new value and fights climate change. It supports new learning opportunities, and the evaluation and measurement of circular approaches that maximize emission reductions.
“The circular economy is climate action, and in Ontario we have an incredible ecosystem of leaders committed to building a more sustainable future,” says David Messer, executive director, Smart Cities Office, City of Guelph. “The research and programming within the Hub fosters new knowledge, tools and resources that will engage more people with the circular economy and ensure developed strategies deliver maximum impact toward emissions reduction. We look forward to working with current and new collaborators to accelerate the shift to a climate-smart circular economy.”
The Hub will drive innovation through three areas of focus.
- Carbon Negative Innovation Zone: Using COIL expertise, this zone will attract forward-looking businesses and social innovators to work together on system-changing demonstration projects. The Hub prototypes and pilots policies, tools, technology and infrastructure to accelerate climate-smart and circular systems redesign.
- New Climate-Smart Circular Indicators: Not all circular strategies result in emissions reductions. Innovation efforts must concentrate investigation on approaches and practices that maximize decarbonization. The Hub brings together experts, academic partners and communities of practice to stimulate new thinking to identify, measure and verify circular economic pathways and best-practices.
- Learning Extension: Businesses – their leaders, staff and customers – need greater awareness of the benefits and opportunities of the circular economy for sustainable growth. The Hub leads education, training and engagement programs that will increase knowledge and skills needed to drive a climate-smart circular economy.
COIL’s Climate and Circularity Solutions Hub collaborators and advisors include: 10C Shared Space, Anthesis Provision, Arrell Food Institute at University of Guelph, CSA Group, David Suzuki Foundation, Innovation Guelph, Innovation North, Ivey Business School – Centre for Building Sustainable Value, Network for Business Sustainability and Our Food Future.
Funding for initial Hub programming and research was provided by corporate supporters, such as Desjardins and Maple Leaf Foods. Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL) is reliant on generous contributions from funders; if interested in helping us further our circular economy goals, then please contact us at [email protected].
About Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL)
Launched in April 2021, with $5 million in funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, COIL is an innovation platform and activation network focused on creating, proving and scaling transformative solutions across all sectors – starting with food and environment – in southern Ontario that will move Canada toward a more sustainable, circular economy. Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL) is a sister initiative to the flagship, Our Food Future – both led by the Smart Cities Office, a joint local government project of City of Guelph and County of Wellington. Funding for COIL program participants is provided in collaboration with 10C’s Harvest Impact Fund, a social-finance initiative that supports impactful projects to strengthen local communities.