ALMA – The second phase of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Circular Economy project is underway. The Centre québécois de développement durable (CQDD) and its partners, the SADC du Haut-Saguenay, Alliage 02 and Groupe Coderr, held a press conference this morning to mark the occasion. This second phase is made possible thanks to the financial support of Rio Tinto..

“With this second phase, our ambition is to multiply collaborations between businesses and organizations in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region to reduce waste and extend the life of products. To achieve this, we’re going to capitalize on the 1,000 or so offers and requests that have been collected over the past 30 months from 247 companies, so that one company’s waste becomes another’s raw material. In short, we’re going to create business opportunities in the circular economy that will reduce losses, supply costs and disposal costs, while having a positive impact on the environment,” points out Nicolas Gagnon, CQDD General Manager.

The aim of this vast operation is to continue the work undertaken to set up a regional industrial symbiosis, i.e. a network of organizations linked by exchanges of materials, water, energy or material and human resources. Over the past 30 months, the project’s instigators have supported more than 240 organizations in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. The project has reduced GHG emissions by 1,500 tonnes and diverted nearly 279 tonnes of materials from landfill.

“Thanks to this collaboration with our partners, innovation continues in a collaborative spirit to have a positive impact in our region and for our planet. The circular economy represents the future at Coderr, where waste reduction, resource reuse and environmental preservation are at the heart of our actions”, says Dave Gosselin, Assistant General Manager at Groupe Coderr.

One of the targets of this new phase is to document the needs and offers of over 135 organizations, with a view to creating over 30 synergies and collaborations between them. To achieve this, the region’s companies will be able to take part in networking workshops, which will help to clarify needs and offers.

“Because investing is only one of the levers of success, we believe that collaboration in such a project is essential. That’s why we believe it’s important to participate in creating this strong, solid ecosystem,” says André Boily, General Manager of SADC du Haut-Saguenay for the region’s five SADCs.

“For Alliage 02, the circular economy is like cement between bricks; it’s the link between development and the environment needed to ensure the prosperity of our businesses. This awareness is becoming increasingly integrated into business practices. Synergies have a positive and palpable influence on the ecosystem of our industrial parks, notably by becoming increasingly attractive living environments,” adds Nathalie Simard, General Manager of Alliage 02.