Here’s how to add circular economy principles to your working methods

Coaching opportunities, funding sources and tools to help you. As part of the implementation of the City of Montréal's Circular Economy Roadmap, we want to raise awareness of these initiatives within Montréal's design and architecture community so that together we can achieve the goal of doubling the city circularity rate by 2030.  
 

Coaching for reuse in construction 

SURCY provides professional support and guidance for organizations, firms and projects.  
Services provided include resource diagnostics, search for and activation of end uses, support for eco-design, advice on contracts and logistics, impact assessment (GHGs, carbon), and feasibility studies.  

• For accepted projects, 75% of coaching fees are covered.
• Deadline to submit a project: November 21, 2025
• For full details: Call for projects — SURCY

Circular economic diagnostics 

A new City of Montréal program encourages firms to conduct a custom-tailored analysis to help incorporate circularity into their practices and optimize resource use at every stage in the lifecycles of their products and services.  The diagnostics can include eco-design analysis, worksite resource analysis, potential for reuse and end uses, materials flow cost analysis, etc. 

• Grant amount of up to $15,000
• Applications accepted until September 20, 2027
• For full details (in French): Subvention pour un diagnostic en économie circulaire | Ville de Montréal

Mouvement circulaire

Esplanade Québec provides coaching designed specifically to accelerate marketing, growth and adoption of circular solutions in businesses. For 6 to 12 months, participants benefit from up to 40 hours of individual strategic coaching, circular economy expertise, practical workshops, a launch ramp to consolidate marketing and growth, plus networking events. 

• Applications accepted until spring 2027.
• For full details: Mouvement Circulaire – Esplanade

Program providing support, upgrading and matching with needs and markets for residual materials from construction, renovation, demolition and deconstruction (CRDD)  

RECYC-Québec offers financial support for four kinds of initiatives encompassing residual materials management and reuse. The shared intention is long-term improvement of sorting, packaging and recycling of residual materials from CRDD in Québec. 

Four types of support are offered:

Type 1A: Diagnostics of operations and needs assessment for development of sorting capabilities 
For CRDD sorting centres wishing to study options for upgrading or diversifying their operations. Such studies must be conducted by third-party providers.

Type 1B: Support for contract awarders on incorporating circular-economy principles
For groups, federations or associations of businesses, municipalities as well as teaching or healthcare establishments. Private- or public-sector contract awarders needing support and guidance on amendments to their specifications documents for incorporation of circular-economy principles, including construction, renovation and conversion projects, are eligible for this type of project.

Type 2: Upgrading of existing reuse, sorting, packaging, recycling or reclamation facilities  
For businesses already operating the in the CRDD sector looking to enhance productivity as well as the quality of their output materials in order to improve sales, especially on local (Canada and U.S.) markets.  

Type 3: Support for development of new reuse and deconstruction capabilities 
For businesses interested in introducing new services to support the marketing of materials from reuse. Covers mainly equipment that enables preparation for reuse. Businesses specializing in deconstruction services are also eligible.

• Financial assistance and eligibility vary depending on the type of project; see details in the program standards framework document (in French).
• Applications accepted while funds remain available or until February 2027.
• For full details (in French) : Programme de soutien, de modernisation et d’arrimage avec les besoins et marchés pour les résidus de construction, rénovation, démolition et déconstruction - RECYC-QUÉBEC 

At any time

If you’re just starting out 

• Learn all about circular-economy principles in this video by RECYC-Québec (in French) Économie circulaire 101 Économie circulaire 101.
• Read up on Montréal’s commitment to transforming the economy through adoption of the Circular Economy Roadmap 2024–2030 and its first action plan.
• Synergie Montréal provides professional support to businesses interested in adopting circular- economy principles and contributing to a more sustainable economy.

If you’re already in the know 

• The Lab construction (CERIEC) website, by CERIEC, brings together a wealth of resources to help construction companies speed their circular-economy transition (in French). Lab construction.
• The responsible procurement tool developed by RECYC-Québec provides standard clauses for inclusion in tenders for construction, renovation, demolition and deconstruction (CRDD) work, to encourage measures for reuse of residual materials (in French).