– Potential of the Circular Economy for Reducing Québec’s Industrial GHG Emissions

The research project on the potential of the circular economy to reduce greenhouse gases from Quebec industrial emitters was launched in 2018. In a first phase, the researchers mapped industrial GHG emissions in Quebec (report available here: https://cutt.ly/ZffF6w4). A second phase, which was completed in the last few months, presented the analysis of GHG reduction potential from a circular economy perspective. The research team focused on industrial emissions from three sectors: steel, aluminum, and cement. A modeling of GHG reductions was carried out by coupling a material flow analysis to a life cycle analysis (MFA-LCA). The circular strategies analyzed are: (1) the optimization of operations, (2) the development of industrial synergies, (3) the increase of recycling rates and (4) the optimization of the use of products. The project demonstrates the importance of the circular economy in reducing Quebec industries’ carbon footprint. The project also made it possible to develop a methodology that can be replicated across all business sectors.

Research/Study carried out with the cooperation of: Hugo Guerche, HEC Flavien Binet, Polytechnique Montréal / CIRAIG Julien Pedneault, Polytechnique Montréal / CIRAIG Jean-Marc Frayret, Polytechnique Montréal & Manuele Margni, Polytechnique Montréal / CIRAIG Daniel Normandin, Institut EDDEC François Saunier, Polytechnique Montréal / CIRAIG Luc Beaudoin, Hydro-Québec / Johanne Whitmore, HEC Pascal Lemoine / CTTÉI Alexandre Labelle, Polytechnique Montréal.