RLG Spotlight: 2025 Canadian Circular Economy Summit
Driving Sustainability Forward at the 2025 Canadian Circular Economy Summit
The 2025 Canadian Circular Economy Summit (CCES) was a powerful gathering of changemakers, thought leaders, and sustainability advocates. Hosted in Montréal last week, the Summit highlighted advancements in circularity and inspired meaningful action toward a more sustainable future. From forward-thinking panel discussions to hands-on workshops, CCES showcased innovative solutions and practical steps to make circular economy a reality for businesses and industries around the globe.
If you couldn’t make it to this year’s event, team RLG is here to spotlight some of the Summit’s most impactful moments and share key takeaways to help propel your own sustainability initiatives forward.
Inspiring Leadership in Circular Innovation
One of the standout moments at CCES 2025 was the CEO Leadership Panel on Day 1, featuring thought-provoking insights from top executives like Guy Wakeley (Reconomy), alongside representatives from erthos® and IKEA.
This session tackled how companies can scale their circular impact by adopting sustainable materials and strategies grounded in real-world data. The panelists highlighted critical actions for enterprises, including embedding transparency and putting long-term impact at the heart of operations.
For example, Guy Wakeley emphasized how data and partnerships are unlocking new opportunities for enterprises to transition from linear to circular business models. IKEA shared actionable strategies they’ve implemented to extend the lifecycle of their products, from collecting information on what happens in the everyday life at consumers’ home, furniture repairs to resale programs.
The panel underscored an essential message for business leaders everywhere: innovation and collaboration must remain central to circularity efforts.
Leveraging Data for Circular Decision-Making
Day 2 brought the much-anticipated Leveraging Data for Circular Economy Decision-Making Workshop, featuring Patrick Wiedemann, CEO of RLG/Comply, alongside global leaders like alongside thought leaders like Alasdair Hedger (Ellen MacArthur Foundation), Bethany Edwards (WBCSD), Fabien Hammerer (5REDO), Matthew Lynch and Carly MacArthur (Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario), and Melissa Zbacnik d’Antonio (CTTÉI).
This session provided attendees with a roadmap for utilizing data to facilitate impactful sustainability decisions. The discussion uncovered three core pillars of circular data management:
- Motivation: Data isn’t just about crunching numbers; it helps convey the dual benefits of sustainability – from economic cost-savings to environmental gains.
- Enablement: Transparency in material flows and supply chains is critical for driving informed choices.
- Evaluation: Benchmarking tools and measurement platforms can help businesses gauge their circular impact and prioritize improvement areas.
Participants also engaged in breakout discussions where they explored how to implement these principles within their own organizations. These collaborative conversations allowed attendees to share real-life challenges and solutions, fostering a spirit of collective growth and action.
Key Takeaways from the 2025 Canadian Circular Economy Summit
The Summit reinforced that actionable steps, collaboration, and data-driven approaches are the building blocks of the circular economy. Here are some of the most critical lessons we took away from CCES 2025:
- Empowering Consumer Participation
Tools like Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are not just compliance enablers but also key to creating transparency and trust with consumers. By educating customers about product lifecycle and sustainability, brands can foster deeper engagement.
- Scaling Circular Innovation Through Leadership
Businesses can take circularity from experiment to enterprise-wide strategy by prioritizing sustainable raw materials, investing in circular design, and using credible metrics to measure progress. Leadership buy-in is essential to embed these principles into company culture.
- Data is the Driving Force of the Circular Economy
From streamlining supply chains to optimizing design, the use of accurate, real-time data transforms insights into measurable impacts. Companies using data to benchmark circular models outperform those with less structured approaches.
- Building an Ecosystem of Collaboration
No single company can create a thriving circular economy alone. Brands, NGOs, policymakers, and communities must come together to advocate for systems-level changes that support circular infrastructure.
Build a Sustainable Future with RLG
At RLG, our mission to create a circular economy is more than a vision; it’s a call to action. The 2025 Canadian Circular Economy Summit demonstrated the incredible strides businesses are making, but it’s clear there’s more work ahead.
And RLG is here to help – join the movement by leveraging RLG’s industry-leading expertise and tools. Our suite of solutions, including data management tools (with access to benchmarking against over 58 million products in our database) and compliance support, can help accelerate your sustainability goals.
Contact us today to learn more about how RLG can support your business and sustainability goals.
