Canada has set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
How does the regulation of clean electricity play a central role in achieving these targets, and what specific strategies are being pursued to transition the energy sector?
Clean electricity enables the reduction of emissions across the economy, by supporting the electrification of our homes, business, and industries. Reducing emissions also
Q&A WITH
Mediaplanet had a conversation with the Honourable Steven Guilbeault and the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne to gain insights into the pressing environmental challenges of our time and their collaborative efforts with stakeholders to lead Canada's path toward achieving net-zero emissions.
Q&A WITH Minister Steven Guilbeault Minister François-Philippe Champagne
What's the role of cleantech innovation in the journey toward achieving netzero emissions? How does it fit into the broader strategy for addressing climate change?
Investment in clean technology is a key component of Canada’s approach to promoting sustainable economic growth. Cleantech has the potential to remediate or prevent environmental damages and improve the lives of Canadians through technologies that are less polluting or more resource efficient.
They will also play a critical role in helping Canada achieve its 2030 and 2050 climate targets, while building a more competitive and low-carbon economy for Canada.
The rapid scale-up and adoption of clean technologies that are ready for deployment across economic sectors, such as battery-powered electric vehicles in transport and methane reduction technologies in oil and gas, will make an important contribution to enabling Canada to reach its 2030 emissions reduction commitment.
To accelerate the transition to clean growth, our government is investing in cleantech research and development, commercialization and scale-up, in addition to introducing measures to encourage the adoption of clean technologies across other sectors.
Budget 2023 announced new initiatives that will help Canada transition to a low-carbon economy, such as an additional $500
helps reduce the worst impacts — and costs — of climate changes. Even today, Canadians are experiencing these effects through wildfires, extreme heat, and storms.
Businesses and industries are demanding clean electricity; having clean, reliable, affordable electricity is a global competitive advantage. Canada is in a great place to start, with almost 84 per cent of its electricity already coming from non-emitting sources.
Shifting to clean electricity saves households money, as Canadians spend less on fossil fuels which have growing and volatile costs.
The shift to clean electricity generation can have far-reaching economic impacts. Can you discuss how clean electricity regulations aren't only contributing to environmental goals but are also fostering economic growth and job creation across Canada?
The shift to clean electricity will have
million to the Strategic Innovation Fund for clean technology, and the re-alignment of $1.5 billion of its existing resources toward projects in clean technologies, critical minerals, and industrial transformation, among others. By focusing on innovation, investing in cleantech, and creating green jobs, our government is growing a sustainable and competitive economy for present and future generations.
As we work toward a sustainable future, collaboration between government, industry, and research institutions is crucial. How's your ministry fostering partnerships to accelerate the development and deployment of cleantech solutions?
Collaboration helps to accelerate the development and deployment of clean technology solutions. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is fostering collaboration through the Clean Growth Hub, an initiative co-led by ISED and Natural Resources Canada. The Hub is dedicated to helping Canadian cleantech innovators and adopters navigate federal programs and services most relevant to their needs.
Recognizing the widespread application of clean technologies and the wide scope of challenges faced by cleantech stakeholders, the Hub collaborates with its 17 federal member organizations to provide tailored
far-reaching economic impacts if we all work together. For example, Alberta has been a major success story for the scale up of renewable electricity — on track, without any further government support, to reach 30 per cent renewable by 2030. They were on track for $3.7 billion worth of renewable construction by 2023 and more than 4,500 jobs.
Growing renewables is where we need to be going: they’re cheaper than fossil fuels, they don’t pollute, and they represent a huge economic opportunity. Recent estimates suggest that in a net-zero economy by 2050 scenario, jobs in the clean energy sector would grow by 2.2 million at 7 per cent per year out to 2050. Job growth will be especially prominent in the clean energy supply sector, with the number of jobs more than doubling to reach 478,000 by 2050.
advice to clients. This includes advice on funding programs, procurement, IP protection, and regulations, as well as technical and business advisory support.
Since its creation in 2017, the Hub has served more than 2,700 small- and medium-sized enterprises across Canada.
ISED also created the Industrial Decarbonization Team (IDT) to support large-scale clean energy and decarbonization projects through enhanced collaboration across departments on federal programs and regulatory issues. The IDT acts as a central point of contact with our government for project proponents working on large-scale industrial decarbonization projects. It assesses and provides advice on projects that require more tailored support in view of their complexity and ability to accelerate Canada’s path to a competitive, net-zero economy.
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault Minister of Environment & Climate Change
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Innovation, Science & Industry
Hydropower Accelerates the Charge to Clean Energy
With fires and extreme weather events becoming more common, the effects of climate change are becoming clear to Canadians. More than ever, we must take aggressive action to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Our federal government has set ambitious net-zero emissions goals. One of the best ways to achieve this is to continue investing in renewable energy that is reliable and utilizes proven technology.
On this score, waterpower is the winner.
Ken Donohue
All a hydro plant needs to operate is water, something Canada has in abundance. Wind and solar only produce when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.
In Canada, waterpower already provides more than 60 per cent of our electricity supply, with tens of thousands of megawatts of potential.
Reliable and clean energy
WaterPower Canada, the country’s waterpower industry association, is a leading advocate for responsible development and use of hydropower to meet our electricity needs in a sustainable manner.
“Hydro generation is a natural comple -
ment to other renewable generation,” says Gilbert Bennett, President, WaterPower Canada. “But hydro has unique capabilities that other renewables don’t, and these capabilities are essential for delivering reliable service to customers.”
With water in the reservoir, waterpower can be counted on to deliver reliable power, filling the gap when wind and solar cannot generate the power required by customers. During periods of low demand, hydro generation can reduce production and store energy for later use.” Reservoir storage gives waterpower operators the ability to adjust production to meet customers’ needs and to accommodate variations in rain and snowfall from one year to the next. The storage capability available with hydropower is far
greater than can be provided by batteries.
Waterpower is the backstop for other renewables, and this capability will be more important in the future as utilities add more variable renewable generation to the grid.
Bennett adds that most Canadians understand the need to move to a renewable future, and successfully doing so means that we need to use all non-emitting technologies to get there. “Our path to net zero will be defined by a portfolio of generation alternatives based on reliability, economic, and environmental considerations. Wind and solar, nuclear, and of course, hydropower all have a role in getting us there,” he says.
How Smart Buildings Are Contributing to Canada’s
Path to Net
Zero
Technology leader ABB supports industry and customers’ sustainability journeys through digital smart solutions that contribute to a resource-efficient future.
Tania Amardeil
Canada’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is a matter of national pride, and the pathway to this achievement is already being travelled diligently by the many stakeholders needed to support the initiative, from individuals to businesses and government. As we transition to a cleaner economy to fight climate change, it will take our combined efforts to be the change we wish to see in the world.
Smart buildings are one of the areas contributing to Canada’s net-zero plan, and ABB in Canada is setting the pace on the road to carbon neutral. The leading global technology company is energizing the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future.
Understanding the challenge
Canada’s per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are exceptionally high due to a combination of factors including our harsh climate, expansive country and relatively small population, continual economic and population growth, resource-rich economy, and more. The majority of these GHG emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels to make energy, which includes heat and electricity, a large portion of which go toward keeping our country’s over 15 million residential buildings and over half a million commercial and institutional buildings (including offices, retail, and warehouses) running safely and comfortably. According to the Government of Canada, Canada’s homes and buildings account for 13 per cent of national GHG emissions thanks to the combustion of fossil fuels for space and water heating, or 18 per cent if you include the electricity used for cooling, lighting, and appliances.
Giving buildings more efficient functionality
There’s no question, then, that Canada’s building sector contributes to GHG emissions.
“With all the systems in today’s buildings, from lighting and heating to ventilation, cooling, and appliances, they simply use a ton of energy — energy that we could and should manage more efficiently and intelligently,”
says Ali Dika, Product Director of Smart Power and Smart Buildings at ABB Canada.
“Fortunately, this high energy consumption, which leads to higher carbon emissions, can be tackled with engineering solutions that grant the buildings more harmonized and efficient functionality.”
One of ABB’s specialties is exactly this — making buildings “smart” with intelligent building technologies through smart lighting, air-conditioning, heating control, and electrical distribution systems. These infrastructure solutions allow for building automation systems to provide an exponential increase in energy efficiency in addition to more safety and comfort for building tenants.
Introducing ABB Ability™
Building Solutions
ABB Ability™ Building Solu tions is the technology driving ABB’s work of making build ings smart. “Coupled with a digitally enabled hardware infrastructure, ABB Ability™ is our cloud-based software solution that allows the connection of electrical and mechanical infrastructure to the digital world,” says Dika.
With ABB Ability™, clients looking to meet their sustainability goals will have everything they need at their fingertips to optimize their building’s performance, from holistic monitoring and data analysis to remote access to infrastructure. Through optimizing the electrical and mechanical infrastructure, identifying potential improvement opportunities for energy savings and emissions reduction, providing predictive maintenance alerts to reduce maintenance costs, decarbonizing buildings by connecting all data and enabling commands and schedules, and using AI technologies to autonomously control buildings, ABB Ability™ offers the simplest way to a smart building. This improves energy efficiency, helps companies reduce their operational expenses by as much as 45 per cent, and prevents waste by planning downtime better.
Cost, energy, time savings, and increased comfort
“At ABB, we imagine a future of smart cities and our technology empowers individuals
to live, work, and move in a safer, smarter, and more sustainable way,” says Dika.
Last year, IKEA relied on ABB’s solutions to increase the energy efficiency of their HVAC system across a number of facilities in Spain, adding up to 80,000 square metres. The results of this partnership is an estimated 25 per cent increase in the energy efficiency of the HVAC system, which equals out to an annual reduction of around 425 tons of CO2 emissions.
Dika uses the example of a landline telephone compared to a modern smart phone to highlight the difference of a traditional building versus a smart one. But unlike a landline telephone, which can’t transform into a smart phone, any building can become smart thanks to the ABB digitally enabled hardware and ABB Ability™ solution. “This technology can be used everywhere, from factories to residential homes to condominium towers and beyond. It’s such a flexible piece of software, and there are fascinating examples in every sector, for example food and beverage, data centres, and telecommunications,” says Dika.
Ali Dika
Product Director of Smart Power & Smart Buildings, ABB Canada
How Alectra Inc. is Enabling Electrification of Transportation
Businesses and public entities are actively transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of their netzero approach: decarbonizing fleets, transit systems, and vehicles through electric mobility is a solution that can be acted upon today.
On the surface, the eMobility concept is straightforward, but in actuality, it can be full of implementation and operational risks, as well as being capital intensive. Organizations would serve their net zero aspirations well by working with proven service providers to ensure the longterm success of their electrification transition.
One such provider is Alectra Inc., which is partnering with public and private entities to address the technical and economic challenges of EV infrastructure implementation and has already deployed hundreds of EV charging stations. Through its utility arm, Alectra Utilities Corporation, the largest municipally-owned utility in Canada based on customer size, Alectra is present in 17 communities in the Greater Toronto, Niagara and Hamilton Areas, serving over 1.1 million customers. Alectra Inc.’s commercial arm, Alectra Energy Solutions Inc., is actively developing customized EV solutions for its valued commercial customers, including municipalities, fleet owners, and transit agencies.
Enabling eMobility
The Government of Canada has mandated that all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks be zero-emission by 2035. To help meet that goal, Natural Resources Canada’s ZEVIP program was created to address a key barrier to the adoption of EVs in Canada — namely, a distinct lack of charging stations. Over the years, Alectra Utilities has been both a recipient and a ‘delivery organization’ for this funding, helping to bring millions of dollars to work towards successfully rolling out EV chargers across Ontario. And
Alectra Utilities intends to continue leveraging funding opportunities as they arise.
But even without funding, Alectra Inc.’s affiliate, Alectra Energy Solutions, is offering tailored EV infrastructure solutions to private and public entities through flexible contracts, minimal to no upfront capital outlay, and an overall positive EV charging experience for customers.
Paving the way to electrification
Since 2017, Alectra has been conducting research and customer engagement, educating customers about EVs, and running eMobility demonstration projects to test new business models. “These smart charging initiatives inform our development activities as well as our advocacy positions,” says Neetika Sathe, Vice-President of the Alectra Green Energy and Technology Centre (GRE&T Centre), Alectra Utilities’ dedicated innovation hub. “For example, we’re working in the residential sector to test intelligent charging solutions that reduce the impact on grid-edge infrastructure and help us identify how infrastructure can be provided in multifamily buildings.”
Alectra Utilities believes it is imperative for local distribution companies to play a role in providing eMobility services to customers. “Customers can get access to rate options, actionable information, and funding while utilities get visibility into customer needs, enabling them to plan and operate the system effectively. Alectra Utilities’ aim is to be a trusted ally to our customers, we strive to develop relationships that empower our customers to participate in load management programs that can make the grid run more efficiently and reliably,” says Sathe.
eMobility for businesses
Alectra Inc.’s competitive affiliate, Alectra Energy Solutions, is also enabling organizations to reap the benefits of EVs by delivering eMobility solutions that are simple, dependable, and aligned with clients’ commercial aspirations.
Alectra Energy Solutions does this by taking on the implementation, financing, and operational risks of tailored EV charging
infrastructure. Their flexible, partner-based approach takes pressure and risk off organizations, leaving Alectra Energy Solutions to shoulder turnkey responsibility for the development, financing, installation, and reliable operation of EV-related infrastructure and systems.
The Government of Canada has mandated that all new light-duty cars and passenger trucks be zeroemission by 2035.
“Our approach takes the implementation risks and financial hurdles away from our commercial customers, while allowing for flexibility in EV charging solutions that work with their business,” explains Ariel Bautista, Director of eMobility at Alectra Energy Solutions. “Organizations can focus their capital investments on their core operations, while achieving their decarbonization goals faster. With our trusted and experienced team, we are putting the customer experience first, delivering successful eMobility solutions that just work,” says Bautista.
In addition to EV charging solutions, Alectra Energy Solutions brings added value to its partners by delivering infrastructure solutions both in front and behind the meter, which can include on-site generation such as solar PV systems, and on-site battery energy storage. This comprehensive suite of distributed energy solutions can help customers manage their peak load to mitigate electricity costs and ensure economically viable energy solutions.
With its proven track record, deep understanding of customer reliability needs, operational expertise, and financial strength, Alectra Inc. is uniquely positioned to enable the electric mobility transition across North America.
Alectra is partnering with commercial and government sectors to enable electrification of vehicles, fleets, and transit systems.
Tania Amardeil
Ariel Bautista Director of eMobility, Alectra Energy Solutions
Open Disclosure is at the Core of Suncor’s Sustainability Reporting
2023 marks the release of Suncor’s 28th Report on Sustainability and 7th Climate Report, underscoring the company’s longstanding commitment to transparently provide progress on its environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts.
Tania Amardeil
Every year Suncor discloses its performance through two comprehensive publications – its annual Report on Sustainability and Climate Report.
“There is an increasing focus on these reports, particularly from our financial partners including investors, bankers, and insurers. They want to know about our performance, our ambition and our plans for a low-carbon future,” says Rich Kruger, President and Chief Executive Officer at Suncor.
Accountability to ESG Commitments
The Report on Sustainability and the Climate Report are must-reads to better understand Suncor’s dedication towards a more sustainable future. The Report on Sustainability provides detailed data and context on its ESG performance in 19 areas. It includes year-over-year data charting per-
formance in those areas. Suncor’s Climate Report reflects its plans, performance, and progress on its strategy for the decarbonization of its core business and expanding its energy offerings.
Suncor is committed to sustainability leadership and positioning itself to succeed in a low carbon future. The company aims to be a net-zero company by 2050 and has set a goal to achieve 10 megatonnes of annual emissions reductions by 2030 across its value chain. This year, the company’s Climate Report describes how several components that anchor these plans are taking shape – including their carbon capture and storage projects and how the company plans to succeed through collective and Suncor-specific action.
“Suncor’s sustainability disclosure reflects our willingness to be held accountable for our performance in areas of significant importance to stakeholders and communities,” says Arlene Strom, Chief Sustainability Officer at Suncor.
How to Grow a Lucrative Business That'll Make the World a Better Place
an ethical business can be overwhelming. That’s where the Ethical Profit Agency comes in.
The Ethical Profit Agency believes that entrepreneurs and small business owners can make a huge impact on the world. They just need the “howto” that will break the paralysis and jumpstart them and their businesses into action by destroying the myth that sustainability is costly.
“Our main mission is to help make the financial world accessible to people who are left out of that world,” says Samantha Richardson, CEO of Ethical Profit Agency.
“We work with a lot of women, for example, and small business owners who don't have a traditional business background. I always lead with compassion and non-judgement for where they’re starting their business journey.”
The Ethical Profit Agency offers sustainable consulting services that fall into two main categories: an accounting tax advisory, which provides traditional accounting services like bookkeeping and compliance-related financials; and sustainability consulting, which encompasses things like helping organizations become B Corp certified and
supporting companies in their sustainability efforts, financial or otherwise.
Embracing sustainability
In today’s social climate, businesses who aren’t embracing sustainability are simply behind the curve. The early adoption of ESG reporting has passed and we’re nearing the mainstream adoption phase. Businesses that are resistant to change are hurting themselves in the long run.
“Climate change is something that will affect 100 per cent of businesses,” says Richardson. “And small businesses are more likely to feel challenges, like with the pandemic, more acutely — so if they don’t have the right pieces in place, they’re more at risk. It’s also becoming more and more important for organizations to prioritize sustainability as part of their working environment. Millennials and Gen Z employees are really aware of how critical the situation is and they don't want to work for companies that aren’t sustainable.”
Richardson notes that organizations also want to partner with other sustainable businesses in order to minimize risks. “And there’s a lot of evidence shows that businesses
are more profitable when they have an integrated sustainability ethos,” she adds. There’s no question — embracing sustainability is a win-win-win.
Helping build ethical, sustainable businesses
Ethical Profit Agency helps businesses who are lagging on their sustainability initiatives to get on track. Whether companies are ready for small or large change, solutions offered by the agency include financial services, advisory services, sustainable consulting, and more.
“What keeps my clients coming back is that I help increase your profit, plan for the future, and align your business with your values,” says Richardson. And the Ethical Profit Agency walks the walk. As the oldest B Corp accounting firm in Canada, it doesn’t just coach other organizations on how to be more sustainable — it’s leading the way in demonstrating what that looks like.
Building
Tania Amardeil
Samantha Richardson CEO, Ethical Profit Agency
Pursuing Zero Carbon Is a Smart Business Move for Building Owners
More building owners and developers are pursuing carbon reductions, recognizing the growing business risk carbon poses. Buildings where carbon reductions are not prioritized will miss out on energy efficiency and resiliency gains, just as Canada sees an increase in extreme weather events due to a changing climate. And as regulations shift and carbon prices rise, these buildings will become less attractive to future investors and tenants.
Fortunately, zero-carbon buildings are technically and financially feasible. Made-in-Canada Zero Carbon Building standards are helping Canadian owners and developers map out a path to net zero, building by building.
A global imperative
Carbon-fueled climate change has become a significant risk for building owners as rising temperatures and extreme weather events change how buildings are designed, constructed, and managed.
“There’s widespread recognition that climate change isn't just real, but starting to pose a physical and economic threat,” says Thomas Mueller, President and CEO of the Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC), the
organization behind the Zero Carbon Building standards. “As the impacts of a changing climate become more apparent, how investors evaluate where they invest is changing.”
ESG standards have become a corporate mainstay globally, and real estate investments must now meet requirements associated with resiliency and mitigating climate risk. Along with an increasing carbon price and the potential for government interventions, these shifting business drivers can accelerate the decarbonization of large buildings and whole portfolios.
“The expectations for the building sector have changed,” says Mueller.
Pursuing decarbonization
Building owners must plan for decarbonization to stay ahead of a changing market. “We already know it's the right thing to do environmentally,” says Kit Milnes, VicePresident of Sustainability and Resilience at KingSett Capital, a private equity real estate firm that’s leveraging the Zero Carbon Building standards to advance its sustainability commitments. “At KingSett, we’ve been able to show our investors that reducing carbon emissions makes a lot of financial sense.”
All new buildings should be zero carbon or risk expensive retrofits in the future. For existing buildings, planning decarboniz-
The Decarbonization Gold Rush: Canadians Embrace New Air and Water Heating Options
We all want to be better corporate citizens.
Choosing to prioritize decarbonization and electrification is one of the most effective ways Canadians can play a role in helping reach Canada’s net-zero goal.
Shifting from traditional gas-burning heating systems to water or air-source heat pump water systems, which use electricity, is one simple way to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, without compromising efficiency.
Ed Carney, President of Kilmer Environmental, and Johan Martensson, President of Transom understand this better than most, having worked in the HVAC industry for over 30 years. For both, the shift from gas-burning devices to heat pump systems has gained recent traction as clients begin to better understand the benefits of swapping to energy-efficient devices.
What impact are decarbonization and electrification having on the HVAC industry?
Ed: The main heating source for much of Ontario is natural gas, but when you burn natural gas, you’re creating CO2. By moving
to an electric device, assuming your elec tric supply is coming from non-fossil fuel burning sources – like air – it’s a simple but effective way to cut down on CO2 emissions.
What is an air-source heat pump system?
ation measures around a building’s natural lifecycle can reduce impacts and costs.
“Deep carbon retrofits require you understand your building’s carbon footprint,” says Mueller. “Then you need to do transition planning to understand what investments and technologies are required to achieve decarbonization.”
As the need for deep carbon retrofits grows, so do financing options, such as those offered by CIB, BMO, and other leading financial institutions.
Building owners looking for support will find research and training available through CAGBC, and tools such as CAGBC’s Zero Carbon Building standards or KingSett’s Decarbonization Tool.
Because decisions made today about buildings will be in place for decades, both Milnes and Mueller emphasize the importance of making smart choices now that consider future risks.
“The longer you wait, the steeper the curve becomes to achieve something — in this case, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from construction,” Mueller says. “We have to start now.”
Johan: An air-source heat pump extracts heat (or energy) from the cold air outside, and transfers it inside a building, using electricity to increase the temperature of the heat extracted. Despite the name, heat pumps can also be used to cool air.
Ed: A heat pump is essentially a refrigeration loop, recycling refrigerant inside the unit. As a result, they improve efficiency even in Canada’s cold climate. For gas-burning systems, a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of one (100 per cent) is considered maximum efficiency. With a refrigeration compressor system, you can see COPs closer to three and four, which means for every one unit of energy you generate, you’re taking two or three ‘for free’ from the environment you’re in. This is how they play a role in solving the CO2 crisis.
Why make the switch from a gasburning to heat pump system?
Ed: It’s a total reduction in energy, in a good way! They help reduce energy consumption and are cheaper and more efficient to operate long-term.
Johan: It’s the gold rush of decarbonization. Everyone is trying to understand how to get more out of their systems and increase efficiency while contributing to a better environment. They are also fairly easy and cheap to install overall, especially in a commercial setting. Those who are embracing this technology are industry leaders; they want to be on the cutting edge, and they want their building portfolios to be up to date.
What about Canada’s cold winters?
Johan: Most hours — even in winter — are spent in what we consider to be ‘warmer’ temperatures. For example, if it’s above -23 °C, while that may feel cold to the average person, it’s not cold for an air-source heat pump. New systems, like the ones created by Transom, have embraced new technology. They are designed for Canadian winters and operating in these cold climates — it’s just considered ‘normal’ now.
How One Company is Redefining the Standard of Green Building Design
Rooftop solar panels are well-known, but what about solar walls? This is the kind of leading-edge technology that Elemex has developed and is proving successful in not only creating greener buildings, but also generating renewable power.
With over 50 years of experience in the building materials industry, Elemex perfected the use of aluminum composite panels, and then created a sintered ceramic facade called Ceramitex. These building exteriors are strong, durable, and resist chemical staining and graffiti.
Design flexibility
Redefining the standard of facade innovation, Elemex created Solstex, a building integrated facade system designed to harness the power of the sun. The company’s proprietary Unity attachment technology allows for seamless integration of different facade panels that come in a palette of colours to allow for design flexibility.
“We wanted to fill a gap in the building industry, while finding ways to address climate change,” says Hugh Lowry, Strategic Account Manager, Solar Facades at Elemex. “Our Solstex panels, which come in custom sizes and shapes, convert sunlight into power that can be used directly in the building or sent to the grid. And with net metering, building owners can receive a credit when they produce excess power, on the weekends for example.” Lowry adds their system works with rebuilds and new buildings, and in addition to reducing a building’s environmental impact, the return on investment can be realized in 10-15 years.
How Canadian Start-Ups Are Drawing on Nature to Help Reach Net Zero
The path to net zero is paved with Canadian companies relying on nature’s power to develop eco-friendly solutions. Natural Products Canada (NPC) supports these bio-based innovations through its comprehensive system of advice, strategic connections, and financial support.
NPC has invested in dozens of Canadian companies that represent eco-friendly solutions in a range of industries.
For instance, Dispersa is a female-led company inspired to reduce the impact of dangerous chemicals after seeing the effects of the train derailment disaster in Lac Megantic, Quebec.
Dispersa’s bio-based surfactants and other green chemicals can replace chemicals normally derived from petroleum, and can be used in beauty, cleaning and other industrial products.
Nature Recombined is protecting our precious bee populations from deadly mite infestations, ensuring the bees — and the plants and crops that rely on them — can flourish.
NuLife Greentech is turning garbage from places like Canada’s beloved Tim Horton’s into renewable fuels, avoiding tons of methane-producing waste from landfills in the process.
“The challenges to the planet have been more obvious to Canadians this summer than ever before,” says Shelley King, CEO of Natural Products Canada. “The innovations supported by NPC’s advice, connections, and programs represent a powerful plan to get Canadian, planet-friendly solutions into action quickly and efficiently.”
The crucial net-zero emissions target 2023 is the second year under Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, a stepping stone toward the goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. “Net zero by 2050” plans have been drafted by countries that have signed the United Nations Paris Agreement, in the pursuit of avoiding rises in global temperature above 1.5C. Recently, the World Meteorological Organization highlighted the need for strategies to support these emissions reduction goals, suggesting that global temperatures may breach 1.5C warming for the first time by 2027.
How is Canada measuring up?
A 2021 report by the Berlin Hot or Cool Institute entitled 1.5-Degree Lifestyles investigated GHG emission and lifestyle patterns in ten countries (Canada, Finland, United Kingdom, Japan, China, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil, India, and Indonesia) to identify what life might look like in
2030 in different geographical locations to avoid warming over 1.5C by 2050.
The researchers examined consumption patterns in six categories (food, housing, personal transport, goods, leisure, and services) and their emissions impact. Groups within consumption categories with the largest emissions impacts were named “emissions hotspots”. The researchers identified lifestyle behaviours for individuals in each country to address emissions hotspots by evaluating hotspot item necessity, feasibility of alternative item consumption, and the emissions impact of consuming alternative items. The lifestyle behaviors that researchers deemed most effective for emissions reduction are ways individuals can live within a “fair consumption space,” an individual-specific consumption pattern that equitably meets needs without overconsuming.
Researchers calculated that Canada’s consumer emissions surpassed those of all nine other countries, with annual per capita carbon emissions totaling 13.6 tonnes. Within Canada’s food category, meat was concluded
to be an emissions hotspot, responsible for 1.39 tonnes of carbon emissions per capita. The researchers concluded that adopting a vegan diet is the second most impactful emission-reducing lifestyle strategy for Canadians, behind carfree private traveling.
A call to action for Canadians
Researchers have repeatedly emphasized that global GHG emissions and associated rising temperatures are driving us to an increasingly inhospitable world. Canada’s oversized contribution to global emissions compared to other countries, as confirmed by 1.5-Degree Lifestyles, is a call to action for Canadians to evaluate their choices. We will all need to make changes if humanity is to adapt and live consistently within low emissions targets. Fortunately, eating plant-based is a promising route for individual positive change and you can take impactful, plant-powered steps today.
Agnes Urlocker
Agnes Urlocker Author, Earthsave Canada
This article was sponsored by Elemex
This article was sponsored by Natural Products Canada
Hugh Lowry Strategic Account Manager, Solar Facades, Elemex
Shelley King CEO, Natural Products Canada
Safer consumption on our planet through more plants on our plates.
Ken Donohue
Sue Coueslan
Growing a More Sustainable Food Future with Protein Industries Canada
The agrifood sector, like all sectors of the economy, needs to innovate and become more sustainable en route to net-zero emissions,” says Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada, an industry-led not-for-profit organization. “Plant-based food can play a critical role in that transition.”
The environmental sustainability benefits of plant-based foods are some of the strongest drivers for their growing popularity—so much so that it’s one of the first reasons most consumers list when describing why they choose to incorporate the products into their diet.
It’s no surprise. According to the Boston Consulting Group’s 2021 report “Food for Thought”, an 11 per cent shift in the consumption of meat and eggs would lead to a significant reduction in GHG emissions: “…by 2035, the [11 per cent] shift to plantbased meat and eggs alone will have saved more than 1 gigaton of CO2eqv. That’s the equivalent of Japan going completely carbon neutral for an entire year.”
The agrifood sector, like all sectors of the economy, needs to innovate and become more sustainable en route to net-zero emissions. Plantbased food can play a critical role in that transition.
Between its already strong agriculture industry and growing plant-based sector, Canada has an opportunity to be a global leader in achieving such significant GHG reduction. Greuel notes that in order for us to achieve this leadership status, however, we have to continue to increase our strategic investments in food products with lower carbon footprints.
Investing in the plant-based food space
To avert the worst impacts of climate change, the Government of Canada has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Protein Industries Canada is helping Canada reach its net-zero goal through a number of initiatives. “On a macro level, what we’re doing is investing in the plantbased food space, which gives consumers choice about the protein sources and products they want to eat,” says Greuel.
As one of Canada’s five Global Innovation Clusters, Protein Industries Canada manages an innovation investment fund to help accelerate the growth of Canada’s plant-based food and ingredient sector. It funds innovations in ingredients through to
food manufacturing, allowing more choice and increasing accessibility for consumers.
Creating innovation
These innovations are also supporting a reduction in Canada’s GHG emissions.
Protein Industries Canada member New School Foods, for example, is a company that has created an innovative salmon alternative whose production is expected to result in a lower environmental footprint than its traditional counterpart.
“We’re entirely focused on creating a whole-cut plant-based meat alternative,” says Chris Bryson, New School Foods’ founder and CEO. “Unlike products like ground beef or flaked canned tuna, whole-cut refers to how about two thirds of meat is purchased in the grocery store — like a steak or filet of fish. If we don’t have plant-based alternatives for whole-cut meats, we haven’t tackled the bigger part of the problem.” This product appeals to consumers who have chosen to stop eating meat for environmental reasons, but who still desire the taste, texture, and overall experience of eating a meat-like product.
The supercluster helped us go from the lab all the way to manufacturing and commercialization, with lots of introductions and relationshipbuilding along the way.
New School Foods started with a salmon alternative, as the team noticed the seafood category was under-addressed. Besides focusing only on taste and price, the company also focused on how its salmon alternative looks, cooks, and flakes. To achieve this, it partnered with leading food science universities to develop novel processing and scaffolding technologies that deliver a number of firsts for the meat alternative industry. This partnership and innovation were made possible in large part thanks to Protein Industries Canada’s co-investment.
The power of partnership
Thanks to its proprietary platform for creating whole-cut meat alternatives and unique market offering, which is currently being tested and fine-tuned by chefs, New School Foods is one of the Protein Industries Canada partners that’s directly making an impact on Canada’s net-zero goals.
“We’re just getting started,” says Bryson. “Protein Industries Canada’s funding is going to allow us to develop all kinds of whole-cut products. We’re very excited about the new technology we’ve developed.”
Another partnership is with Lucent BioSciences, an organization that’s supporting sustainable agriculture through upcycling and waste reduction.
“Our mission is to develop sustainable crop nutrition products that work better and cost less while also improving soil health and sequestering
carbon,” says Jason McNamee, co-founder of Lucent BioSciences. “That’s the product we’re bringing to market, Soileos, and we’re doing it via whole seed utilization.”
Through their processing method, Lucent BioSciences is able to make use of the parts of crops that traditionally go to waste during the protein ingredient development process. It’s a project that’s brought environmental benefits to nearly every link in the value chain.
Protein Industries Canada’s support was invaluable to Lucent BioSciences.
“The supercluster helped us go from the lab all the way to manufacturing and commercialization, with lots of introductions and relationship-building along the way,” says McNamee.
Powerful impact
Protein Industries Canada is also focused on tracking their project partners’ impacts in reducing GHG emissions.
“We’re developing a consortium of companies to fund and support a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) data-tracking tool,” says Greuel. “One of the challenges we have in the food system is figuring out how to track, measure, and report emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of a crop. While crop production starts on farms and includes emissions from crop inputs and production, we have to consider the emissions as the product moves throughout the entire value chain, including fuel and transportation. The new MRV tool will look at the movement of commodities throughout that value chain and measure the emissions reduction at each step.”
With so many advances underway, the future of the plant-based food industry is bright — and Protein Industries Canada is leading the way.
Through its various initiatives and partnerships, Protein Industries Canada is positively contributing to Canada’s net-zero goal.
Tania Amardeil
Chris Bryson CEO, New School Foods
Jason McNamee Co-Founder, Lucent BioSciences
Bill Greuel CEO, Protein Industries Canada
Producing Green Battery Materials to Power the Clean Energy Transition
Deployment of renewable energies and electric vehicle (EV) adoption — in Canada, the government has mandated that all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold after 2035 be EVs — are driving exponential demand growth for a mineral that might have gone unnoticed in past decades: natural graphite. Graphite is fundamental to every lithium-ion battery underpinning these zero-emission solutions — for every tonne of lithium, 1.5 tonnes of graphite are required. The exponential growth in demand for natural graphite, which is expected to reach over 500 per cent through 2035 — the strongest increase of all key battery materials — means that North America desperately needs to improve its supply of graphite, which is currently controlled by China.
natural graphite production, from ore to battery materials. The company’s vertically integrated business model caters to the clean energy transition — providing active anode materials to power the batteries needed for not just EVs but also renewable energy storage, cleantech, and consumer electronics.
A forward-looking business strategy
This is a great opportunity for Canadian company Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG). Projected to be North America’s largest producer providing a localized and carbon-neutral alternative to the Chinese supply of natural graphite, it’s leading the way in the production of this important battery material to power a greener future.
Powering the clean energy transition
While electrification has gained momentum across a number of transportation and heavy industry segments, helping carve emissions at the source and further driving demand for battery materials, the mining industry has not kept up.
“From 2012 to 2022, the production of natural graphite has only just fluctuated between 1.2 and 1.3 million tonnes per annum while demand projections increased to 3.4 million tonnes per annum for the anode market alone,” says Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President, and CEO of NMG.
Over the same period, NMG has blossomed from an exploration junior to an active mining and advanced manufacturing company developing what’s planned to be North America’s largest, fully integrated
NMG is actively developing responsible mining and advanced manufacturing projects to supply the global economy with carbon-neutral anode material. Based in Québec, the company is focused on the Matawinie Mine and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant, located in the battery valley, and is planning the Uatnan Mining Project.
China's continued dominance of the global production, its heavy carbon footprint, new Western policies seeking to encourage the localization of sources and a booming North American market all compound into favorable perspectives for NMG.
The company’s ore-to-battery-material production model, high-quality graphite-based solutions, proprietary technologies, and scalable development plan are being noticed and sought after.
“Our technological and commercialization program led to the signing last year of an offtake and strategic partnership with Panasonic Energy,” says Desaulniers. “And discussions advanced, and continue to, with other leading battery/EV manufacturers wanting to secure volumes.”
NMG’s business strategy is also underpinned by a mobilized and diverse team of nearly 110 employees, clean hydroelectricity powering its operations, and a resolute environmental, social, and governance (ESG) mindset.
An enviable ESG profile
NMG’s internal ESG compass drives everything it does.
Using natural graphite, NMG produces active anode material for lithium-ion batteries in a carbon-neutral way, with the utmost respect for the environment and the com-
"Our technological and commercialization program led to the signing last year of an offtake and strategic partnership with Panasonic Energy."
munities involved. The company’s enviable ESG profile covers a range of issues, including responsible mining, diversity and inclusion, environmental management, Indigenous partnership, biodiversity leadership, and responsibility toward its supply chain.
“From the company’s inception, I’ve laid a foundation of integrity, environmental stewardship, and innovation,” says Desaulniers.
“The commitment of going all-electric at our Matawinie Mine thanks to our agreement with Caterpillar, the promotion of proactive engagement with First Nations and communities, the adoption of novel technologies in refining, the design of bold environmental initiatives, and the enlisting of strategic investors and customers who share our vision are as many examples of how we transpose our values into action.”
Creating social and environmental value while driving the transition to a greener future is part of what NMG aspires to do.
As the energy transition forges forward, it’s important to recognize that it’s powered by mining. And companies like NMG are leading the way in a responsible, sustainable way.
WHAT IS GRAPHITE, ANYWAY?
Graphite is a crystalline form of the element carbon and a key component of
Graphite is fundamental to every
Manufacturers are rushing to find alternatives to Chinese supplies, as China currently controls the
Nouveau Monde Graphite is leading the local production of natural graphite, the most in-demand lithium-ion battery material.
Tania Amardeil
This article was sponsored by Noveau Monde Graphite
Eric Desaulniers Founder, President & CEO, Nouveau Monde Graphite
