GLOBE 2020 Highlights and Insights: Innovation Showcase

The European Green Deal – A Trillion Dollar Circular Economy Opportunity

• First announced in December 2019, the EU Green Deal provides a road map to make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
• Supported by investments in green technologies, sustainable solutions and new businesses, the deal is structured to be a new EU growth strategy.
• The speakers emphasized the importance of the right market conditions (pricing, incentives, etc.) and industry collaboration to a successful circular economy.

“No single country can transition to a circular economy by themselves, value chains are global. We need this to be a global effort. This is an area of great economic opportunity.”—Ernesto Hartikainen, Sitra Fund

Industry and Innovation: How to get to Zero Plastic Waste

• Extended producer responsibility is a hugely important driver of reducing plastic waste. Consumers need to be offered options.
• Industry needs to continue to push ambitious goals in shifting their product design while continuing to educate the consumer on recycling and re-use best practices.

“Brands are putting out big audacious goals and stepping up to meet them.”—Isabelle Des Chênes, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC)

Beyond Canada’s Borders: International Cleantech Opportunities

• The European Green Deal, Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, and individual country commitments to climate neutrality present a wide range of opportunities for Canadian cleantech firms, with billions of dollars on the table. Innovation is needed across the board, including renewable electricity generation, transportation solutions (e.g., alternative fuels such as hydrogen), advancements in the circular economy, and putting waste materials to work.
• Emerging international emissions trading mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, specifically Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), could present opportunities in the future for Canadian firms to leverage European financing to deliver cleantech projects around the world.

Government of Canada Cleantech Challenges Launch

• The Clean Growth Hub has been created to streamline funding access and scale Canadian solutions across nine challenge areas.
• Sign up for the newsletter at www.Canada.ca/innovative-solutions to keep up to speed on Innovative Solutions Canada challenges and weekly updates.
• Any company who responds to one of the challenge themes (as long as the submission meets all the challenge criteria) will receive peer-reviewed feedback from business and scientific viewpoints, including how to write and prepare the submission for the future.

“The Clean Growth Hub brings together 16 different departments and agencies that support Canadian cleantech solutions and ultimately streamlines the experience of navigating the complexity of government funding.”—Dominic Aquilina, Clean Growth Hub