Just Circular Economy

We know that sharing, reuse, and repair have tremendous potential to create inclusive jobs for all skill and income levels and support more affordable daily living. Yet these opportunities are not well understood nor effectively communicated, and the movement has not meaningfully engaged marginalized communities.

Recording now available!

Inflation and economic recessions place strain on our wallets, but sharing, reuse, and repair can help relieve that pressure. Join the Share Reuse Repair Initiative (SRRI) as we dig into how the circular economy can provide the means for people to save money while also reducing their impact on the planet. This public dialogue features three panelists: Tonny Colyn, (The Salvation Army Thrift Store - Canada), Sam Kashani (Too Good to Go - Canada), Paula Booker (Kickstand Bikes and Vancouver Community Bike shop Network (VCBN)).

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JCRT Reports

Growing inclusive Circular
jobs in the Lower Mainland and BC

Launched in March 2022, SRRI is proud to share our report: Growing Inclusive Circular Jobs in the Lower Mainland and BC. The brief reviews the scoping and engagement process and highlights the potential for inclusive circular jobs in a Canadian context, as well as case studies from businesses already thriving at the intersection of inclusivity and circularity.

Integrating INCLUSIVE
Employment with ShareWares

Operation Phoenix, a team of students in BCIT's Sustainable Business Leadership capstone course, prepared this report for ShareWares, with SRRI and the Social Demonstration and Research Corporation (SDRC) serving as co-sponsors, investigating the best options for a startup like ShareWares to pursue inclusive employment, particularly for those facing barriers to employment.

eXPLORING A jUST AND
iNCLUSIVE cIRCULAR rECOVERY

This report investigates how to define an inclusive and circular job, the job creation potential of the circular economy globally and regionally, what is needed to create inclusive circular jobs (i.e. reskilling and training programs, work integration social enterprises (WISEs)), how SRR manifests in marginalized communities of Vancouver today, and how to move forward towards a just and inclusive circular recovery and transition.

JCRT Meeting Summaries

Growing inclusive circular
jobs in our region

In November 2021, SRRI convened a meeting of those working in the public sector and in economic development capacities. SRRI shared the work that had been done to date and invited Neha Sharma to share insights on the report she wrote, Louise Schwarz to summarize takeaways from the May 2021 meeting, and Sean Miles to share what was discussed in the June 2021 meeting. Participants discussed priorities for moving forward and how this work aligns with current plans and agendas in the region.

Growing Inclusive circular
jobs for barriered communities

In June 2021, SRRI convened a meeting of social economy actors, particularly employment service providers, to discuss how circular businesses could pursue inclusive employment. Participants discussed the resources that already exist, what circular businesses should take into consideration in pursuing this journey, and what's important to ensure successful inclusive employment from a long term perspective.

Growing inclusive jobs as a circular business

In May 2021, SRRI convened a meeting of circular businesses interested in hiring inclusively from communities that have faced barriers to employment historically (i.e. racialized communities, people with disabilities) or were particularly impacted by COVID-19 (i.e. youth and women). The meeting featured panelists Chris Nichols from Wood Shop and Louise Schwarz from Recycling Alternative.

Resources for learning about a Just Circular Economy and Transition

Redefining the Economic Reset: Elevating Circularity with Indigenomics

Read this article co-authored by SRRI's Alice Henry and Raven Indigenous Capital Partner's Lucia Eyzaguirre about how circularity can be elevated through Indigenomics, a concept developed by Carol Anne Hilton.
This article gives an overview of the circular economy, Doughnut Economics, Indigenomics, and entrepreneurs innovating in these different areas.

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Jobs & Skills in the Circular Economy

The Circle Economy's Circular Jobs Initiative released this report in March 2020. Through the lens of the initiative's three core pillars--skilling, quality of jobs and inclusivity—this report provides an overview of how current labour market issues apply to the circular economy transition, the opportunities that circularity presents for the labour market and the challenges that need to be overcome to achieve a future labour market that enables people and the planet to thrive.

A Feminist Recovery Plan for Canada

Women's economic outcomes have been among the most impacted by COVID-19, particularly women of colour. This report by the YWCA Canada and the Institute for Gender and the Economy at University of Toronto outlines 8 key principles to be considered within any economic recovery plan, as well as policy recommendations.

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Guidelines for a Just Transition to Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All

In this report, the International Labour Organization (ILO) outlines principles, challenges, and opportunities for a just transition to environmentally sustainable economies and societies.

The Social Economy: a Means for Inclusive & Decent Work in the Circular Economy?

This report from Circle Economy looks at the lessons that can be drawn from the social economy to encourage inclusive and decent job growth in the transition to a circular economy. It provides recommendations for circular entrepreneurs, as well as local and national levels of government.

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Waste Prevention: the Environmental and Economic Benefits for Canada

This report from the National Zero Waste Council investigated the potential environmental and economic benefits of waste prevention interventions across six sectors important to the Canadian economy: construction, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, plastics, and retail. The study found that these interventions could generate almost 20,000 jobs.

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Zero Waste and Economic Recovery

This study from GAIA looks at the job generation potential of zero waste systems. Among their findings, they found in comparison to landfill and incineration jobs, repair creates over 200 times as many jobs, recycling creates over 50 times as many jobs, and remanufacturing creates almost 30 times as many jobs. They also found the quality of jobs in zero waste systems to be quite good, citing higher wages and better working conditions than comparable fields.

Closing the Skills Gap: Vocational Education & Training for the Circular Economy

This report from Circle Economy provides information and case studies for why Vocational Education and Training (VET) will be of importance for a just transition to a circular economy. This includes Continued VET (CVET) for those already employed within an industry and Initial VET (IVET) for those that typically face barriers to employment in an industry (e.g. women in construction).