Renaissance: Innovation for the Benefit of the Ecological Transition

Montréal, October 1, 2021 – The City of Montréal announced significant investments to support the local and social economy in a recent press release.  “We are honoured to have been selected by the City of Montréal as part of its Acting to Support the Ecological Transition program. We believe that our project to develop a more responsible socio-economic and scientific capacity to reduce, reuse and recycle post-consumer clothing is in line with the City of Montréal’s vision to accelerate the shift towards a circular economy. It responds to the challenges of ecological transition and social inclusion,” said Éric St-Arnaud, Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance.

This financial support will allow Renaissance to launch a unique social innovation project in Quebec, right here in Montréal. We would like to thank the City of Montréal for seeing the great potential and positive impact of such a project

As a circular economy company, Renaissance has been working for several years with various research and development organizations in America and Europe to increase the scope of its activities. The partnership with Vestechpro, a research and innovation center in the apparel industry based in Montréal, offers the organization a dedicated research and industrial services platform to give itself the means to achieve its ambitions. Renaissance proposes to perfect its expertise in the management of used clothing to reduce landfill waste: avoid compulsive buying, repair clothing/buy second-hand, and recycle what is no longer wearable.

“Each year, we accompany nearly 1,300 people towards the job market thanks to the generosity of some 1.5 million donors. The project will contribute to achieve our goal of increasing this volume to 84.5 million tons by 2031-2032”, says Mr. St-Arnaud.

Recent studies indicate that each year in Quebec, we consume 343,000 tons of new textile products [1] and generate the equivalent of 170,000 tons of textile waste, of which 124,000 are landfilled or burned rather than reused or recycled [2]. In a city like Montréal, where over 100,000 tons of textile waste is generated each year, the transition to a circular economy must primarily include recycling.

The project will allow Renaissance to offer the first consolidated network in Quebec where textile fibres can be recovered, reused, repaired, reconditioned, and now recycled. In addition to acquiring new expertise, this project will allow Renaissance to offer a more extensive training program for its socio-professional integration program and to expand its social mission.

About Renaissance

Created in 1994 in Montréal, Renaissance seeks to become the leader in the social economy of Quebec by developing an innovative network of partnerships that generate employability programs and economic activities inspired by the values of solidarity and sustainable development. The mission of this Quebec non-profit organization is to facilitate the social and professional integration of people who have difficulty entering the labour market while encouraging everyone to act to preserve the environment.  Since its inception, Renaissance has given hope and dignity to over 7,000 people.  At Renaissance, used items are recovered, people are reintegrated, and donations are reinvested in the community. This triple objective gives meaning to the organization’s actions and makes Renaissance a model of a circular economy.

REFERENCES

[1] CIRCULARITÉ DE L’INDUSTRIE TEXTILE AU QUÉBEC, MUTREC Report: https://www.quebeccirculaire.org/data/sources/users/2401/20201124121245-rapportmutrec-no v2020vf.pdf

[2] Ekotex, http://ekotex.ca/profil/le-recyclage-au-quebec/