The Government of Canada is taking steps toward eliminating plastic pollution in Canada. Over 3 million tonnes of plastics were discarded as waste in Canada in 2016, and only 9% was recycled. Under Canada’s G7 presidency in 2018, the Government of Canada championed the development of the Ocean Plastics Charter which commits to a more resource-efficient and lifecycle approach to plastics stewardship, on land and at sea.

In November 2018, through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), the federal, provincial and territorial governments approved in principle a Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste, building on the Ocean Plastics Charter, the strategy takes a circular economy approach to plastics and provides a framework for action in Canada. Federal, provincial and territorial governments are collaborating on implementing the Strategy via action plans focused on:

• Guidance to facilitate consistent extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies for plastics.
• National performance requirements and standards for plastics, including targets and timelines for increasing recycled content; and
• Assessing infrastructure needs for improved plastic lifecycle management.

As part of the integrated management approach to plastics, the Government of Canada is Tackling technological and logistical barriers and challenges for reuse and recycle plastics

• Raising collection, repair and recycling rates.
• Minimizing the amount of plastic sent to landfill.
• Bringing more product categories under management frameworks across the country
• Establishing the conditions for innovation and greater capacity throughout Canada to create a circular economy for plastics and stimulate investments in critical collection and recovery infrastructure.

In Canada, 17 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from the building sector and 35% heat loss from windows. As a result, the Canada’s Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change 2030 led to the Energy and Mines Minister’s identification of residential windows as one of the technology areas for improving energy efficiency and GHG targets.