From the Editor

Getting humanity to embrace circularity as the new standard of what counts as revolutionary is the change we seek to make.

In 2007, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs famously introduced the iPhone to the world with the phrase, “Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.” 

Almost 18 years after the iPhone launch, more than 19 billion smartphones have been produced — a number that outpaces global population growth over that same period (1.4 billion people) by a factor of 13. While so much attention has been placed on the impact of smartphones on our daily lives, far less has been given to the systems driving the demand for and production and disposal of these devices.

The story of smartphone overproduction is, sadly, not a unique one. From clothing to cars to computers to just about any category imaginable, humans are making more stuff than we can possibly need or use and are doing so in ways that are quite literally pushing our planet past its breaking point. To rewrite the “take-make-waste” story, we believe humankind’s next chapter should be shaped by solutions that design out waste, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems. And, fortunately, we are not alone. 

This inaugural issue of Circular Economy Magazine is the result of an exciting collaboration between purpose-driven marketing agency, Sparx Publishing Group, and two leading champions for circularity in Canada, Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC) and the Circular Innovation Council (CIC). 

Collectively, we saw a tremendous opportunity to advance awareness and adoption of the circular economy by co-creating a publication for sparking conversation about and amplifying the stories of exceptional organizations, governments, and businesses that are working in this space. 

The content, design, and timing of the launch of this magazine have centred heavily around the Canadian Circular Economy Summit — the largest gathering of circular economy leaders in Canada and an event co-produced by CELC and CIC. Most notably, we wanted to pay tribute to the host city of this year’s summit, Montréal, by ensuring that portions of this magazine appeared in French to enable an authentic voice for those working to advance the circular economy across Québec. 

Stepping into the first issue of a magazine takes a great deal of trust, collaboration, courage, and leadership by its contributors. Thank you to Paul Shorthouse, Managing Director of CELC, and Jo-Anne St. Godard, Executive Director of CIC, as well as to your respective teams for your guidance, for convening and curating an outstanding collection of stories, and for providing insightful perspectives on trends and drivers of the circular economy, especially through the Canadian lens. 

I am also immensely grateful to the Sparx team for continuing to lean into producing exceptional content as a means of making the world a better, more hopeful place, something that seems especially relevant as the environmental, political, and economic polycrisis constantly confronts us in the news and across social media. 

On behalf of Sparx, CELC, and CIC, I want to extend a sincere thanks to the circular economy leaders featured in this issue: CERIEC, CSA Group, Debrand, Fondaction, Fashion Takes Action (FTA) and Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium (CCTC), Canada Plastics Pact, L’Oréal Canada, Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) and Reconomy, Twenifor, and Ville de Montréal. Whether as a means of being dramatically more efficient with scarce resources, creating new jobs or contributing to planetary stability, the stories they have shared offer an elegant vision for Canada — and indeed other nations around the world — to achieve security, prosperity, and sustainability for future generations by moving to a circular economy. 

Getting humanity to embrace circularity as the new standard of what counts as revolutionary is the change we seek to make. We invite readers of Circular Economy Magazine to spark discussions about the stories contained in this issue. Doing so will create the conditions to advance this new standard, offer a beacon of hope, and send a clear signal to changemakers to co-create a more circular and sustainable future.