Project Investment:

• Island Coastal Economic Trust: $35,250
• Applicant Equity: $70,000
• Total Budget: $105,249

A circular approach involves keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible to maximize value. Solutions often involve shifting production practices to reduce waste, prioritizing local suppliers, and collaborating with other businesses to turn one company’s waste into another’s raw resources.

This pilot project is the first of its kind in British Columbia to offer circular supports and solutions to established businesses. The Vancouver Island Coast Economic Developers’ Association (VICEDA) is delivering this initiative in partnership with larger and mid-sized centres, as well as Indigenous and rural communities. The project targets construction, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and forestry companies with 25 to 200 employees.

The project team is working with a dozen Central South Island, North Island and Sunshine Coast businesses to identify opportunities for applying circular principles to operations, products and services. Other project components include workshops, webinars, case studies and toolkits. The pilot has been designed to be scalable in future years across the province to increase the capacity of businesses to innovate while reducing waste and emissions.