Government procurement ranges between 13 – 20% of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), which equates to government spending on goods and services in Canada at a minimum of $260 billion and up to $400 billion every year. Through procurement, market stimulus, and partnerships the public sector is a catalyst to reshaping current linear economies to become circular.

Buying power is relative and scalable, which means governments, corporations, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – irrespective of size – can shift markets. Leveraging purchasing influence to accelerate adoption of circular business models and practices to deliver goods and services can also advance circular economies in every community across the country.

That’s why we hosted an eight-day learning and application experience that: 

• • Demonstrates how governments and private sector organizations can influence markets to create circular supply and service by redefining value and incorporating circular demands into tenders and contracts across sectors, such as infrastructure, transport, and information technology, and product streams, such as textiles and plastics.
  • Showcase strong links between circular procurement and its use to achieve carbon emission and waste reduction objectives; drive sharing and local economies; build supply chain resiliency; and reduce cost.
  • Features global practitioners in circularity to share their results, ambitions, knowledge, and lessons learned from trialling circular procurement.
  • Offers practical examples of circular procurement to represent the realities of governments and private enterprises of all sizes.
  • Explores market readiness through conversations with suppliers and vendors with embedded circular business models that are ready and willing to meet demand.

The summit also explores cross-cutting themes that can be achieved simultaneously through circular procurement: 

• • Meet carbon emission reduction objectives with a focus on net-zero embedded carbon and scope 3 emissions;
  • Accelerate circularity in Canada through regional and local implementation with the public sector as a central focus;
  • Resource conservation, protection, biodiversity, and circularity;
  • Green economic recovery and resiliency in a post-covid setting;
  • Social inclusion and equity; and
  • Zero waste.