Launched in April 2021, with $5 million in funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, the Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL) is an innovation platform and activation network focused on creating, proving and scaling transformative solutions across all sectors – starting with food and environment – in southern Ontario that will move Canada toward a more sustainable, circular economy.
In September 2022, COIL launched the Climate and Circularity Solutions Hub (Hub). The Hub provides expertise, research and strategies to help regional businesses and community organizations adopt circular economy actions to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. It is also furthering Guelph’s commitment to the United Nations Race to Zero campaign and becoming a net zero carbon community by 2050.
The Hub drives innovation through three areas of focus:
- Carbon Negative Innovation Zone: attracting forward-looking businesses and social innovators to work together on system-changing demonstration projects.
- New Climate-Smart Circular Indicators: bringing together experts, academic partners and communities of practice to stimulate new thinking to identify, measure and verify circular economic pathways and best practices.
- Learning Extension: leading education, training and engagement programs that will increase knowledge and skills needed to drive a climate-smart circular economy.
In just a few short years, COIL programs have received strong uptake from businesses across the province and have attracted interest from other regions, industry sectors and corporate sponsors helping to expand this work. COIL has launched 11 programs resulting in over 100 businesses across the province participating in COIL programs. This successful program is powering the future of Guelph and municipalities across the province.
