Exploring Circularity: Reflections from the Canadian Circular Economy Summit 2025

By Afolasade Nubi, PHD Student at the Institute for the Environment

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Circular Economy Summit 2025 in Montreal, with my supervisor Professor Daina Mazutis, Director of The Green Academy, for a few days packed with inspiring conversations, honest reflections, and hopeful examples of how circular thinking is slowly but surely reshaping the way we do business.

The summit brought together a wide mix of voices, public and private sector leaders, researchers, innovators, and community builders, each tackling the same question: How do we make circularity real, scalable, and inclusive?

 

Here are some of my most meaningful moments from the summit.

Rethinking Business as Usual

One message that came through loud and clear was that circularity isn’t just a supply chain or waste management issue, it’s a mindset shift. 

Henning Krassen from the German Federal Ministry said it best: “We need to align our collaboration models with our business models.” It’s about moving beyond small tweaks and into full system redesign.

At Schneider Electric, Maya Ezzeddine shared how they’re embedding circular principles into product design, materials, and lifecycle strategies. But she was also candid about the challenges, data costs, first-mover risks, and the need for stronger ecosystems. That honesty was refreshing and much needed.

From Boardroom Talk to Real Action

One of the standout sessions was the CEO leadership panel. What stood out was the balance between ambition and realism.

 

Selwyn Crittendon from IKEA talked about offering spare parts so customers can repair rather than replace. It’s simple, practical, and makes circularity more accessible. Nuha Siddiqui from erthos® reminded us that you can’t scale impact without scaling belief—and that means shifting mindsets in parallel with product development. Guy Wakeley of Reconomy emphasized the role of good data, used wisely, not just as a reporting requirement, but as a guide for better decisions.

Global Perspectives: Lessons from Abroad

Circularity is advancing globally, albeit unevenly. Peter Chauvel from GoogleX reframed waste as a resource, advocating for better data and regulatory alignment across borders. Kari Herlevi from Sitra (Finland) called for bold, localized circular solutions backed by both incentives and regulation. Philippe Masset from ADEME (France) shared that younger generations see circularity as aspirational and that urban mining is gaining momentum as a response to resource scarcity.

Building a Just and Regenerative Economy

A personal highlight was the panel on equity in the circular transition. Alexander Hay reminded us to re-center people in the economy, quoting Buckminster Fuller: “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting.” Maya Colombani of L’Oréal Canada spoke of aligning circularity with financial performance, and Jorge Daniel Taillant called for a renewed harmony between people and the planet, an ecological mindset that echoes many of our Green Academy conversations.

Sector Spotlights: Construction & Resource Recovery

In sector-specific sessions, the summit tackled how to scale circular practices where they matter most:

 

  • In resource recovery, we explored how to improve EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) systems in Canada—moving from a recycling rate of ~2% to a target of 40% by 2030. Key strategies include infrastructure modernization, citizen education, and harmonized standards.

  • In construction and real estate, the focus was on modular design, reuse, and “material banks” to embed circularity in building systems. Seven enablers emerged: collaboration, regenerative thinking, policy, systems change, digital tools, education, and workforce reskilling.

In Practice: RÉCO and the Phenix Project

Personal favorites : The two site visits that allowed us to see theory brought to life:

At RÉCO, a social enterprise in Montreal, I witnessed firsthand how discarded construction materials can be given a second life. RÉCO’s model—pre-demolition audits, tax-free reselling, and cross-sector partnerships, reduced 143 tonnes of CO₂ in 2024 alone. It was a proud moment to visit alongside my supervisor, as our research focuses on circular construction.

We also toured The Phenix, a former warehouse transformed by Lemay into a LEED Platinum-certified office space. Rather than demolishing, they renovated, with circularity guiding every decision. It’s a flagship example of sustainable architecture done right.

 Phd student Afolasade Nubi with her supervisor and Director of The Green Academy, Daina Mazutis

The summit was energizing, but also a reality check. Circularity is gaining traction, but it’s still a work in progress. We’re navigating infrastructure gaps, policy misalignment, and plenty of old habits. But we’re also seeing sparks of possibility, companies rethinking product lifecycles, cities experimenting with reuse systems, and younger generations leading with values.