Since 2016, Architecture Without Borders Quebec (AWBQ) has been developing a project in solidarity and social economy called Materials Without Borders (MWB) in Montreal, recycling 2,000 tonnes of construction, renovation and demolition waste annually with a business model based on donations, resale, and recycling.

MWB collects donations and resells materials with a focus on construction, renovation and demotion (CRD) waste as a circular economy strategy to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry, which is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, waste and resource extraction.

The innovative business model on which the project is based draws on a comparative study of similar businesses that have been thriving in the United States for 30 years and has been put to the test by two business accelerators, Esplanade Montréal and the Maison de l’innovation sociale. Using elements of B2C and B2B, the project aims to develop a major materials recycling center that processes hundreds of tons of material from a varied clientele and offers additional transportation, consulting and design services for individuals, companies, designers, contractors, artisans, and more. The project also aims to distribute donated materials free of charge to local humanitarian projects supported by AWBQ. 

The business model is unique in two ways. First, as the humanitarian arm of the province’s architect’s association, Ordre des architectes du Québec, AWBQ counts among its members all 4,300 architects in the province, all of whom may be easily mobilised. Second, as a registered charity, AWBQ acts as a qualified donee for public partners and offers private partners tax-deductible receipts equivalent to the market value of the donated materials. Architects and contractors can use this incentive to encourage clients to recycle materials in an economical, environmentally responsible and socially just way.

For AWBQ, CRDs are an opportunity–both for business and for positive social and environmental impact on a citywide scale.

Environmental

- Diverts materials from landfills through market reuse (goal for 2022: 350 tonnes; goal for 2026: 2000 tonnes) 

- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

Social

- Encourages a recycling culture accessible to all

- Facilitates social reintegration through training in CRD professions

- Preserves heritage materials from historic architectural sites

Economic

- Creates local jobs (goal for 2022: 4 jobs; goal for 2026: 16 jobs) 

- Generates market value for donations collected (goal for 2022: $250,000; goal for 2026: $1 million) 

- Unlocks the CRD scrap and recycling markets with the help of a tax incentive

MWB is in the deployment phase. Since 2002, the combined operations of the two principal partners, AWBQ and Éco-Réno, have diverted nearly 1,500 tonnes of materials from landfills, recirculated more than $2 million in market value and prevented around 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Two recent developments have helped speed the project’s progress. In 2020, AWBQ acquired Éco-Réno, a company founded in 2002 that specialises in salvaging historic construction materials that has since been made an official operational arm of MWB. AWBQ also won the City of Montreal’s summer 2021 call for projects for the Social Economy Challenge: Acting to Support the Ecological Transition and received $500,000 in financial support to accelerate its operational development for the next two years.