Paul is one of Canada’s leading experts in the emerging circular economy, providing solutions and engaging leaders who are working at the intersection of business innovation, public policy, economic development, and sustainability. For over a decade, this work has placed him at the forefront of the important transition that is underway towards a greener, more prosperous, low-carbon economy.
In February 2021, Paul took on the role of Managing Director of the Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC), a network of leaders from all industries and sectors who are fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Canada. In this role he will be the driving force behind the CELC’s Circular Economy Solution Series and the network’s efforts to amplify leading-edge work already underway in this space, while fostering innovation and synergies among business leaders, policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders to drive meaningful systems change.
This work is being done in collaboration with several partners including the GLOBE Series and The Delphi Group where Paul is a senior director and leads their Green and Circular Economy practice nation-wide. Paul is also Board Chair for the Synergy Foundation and Project Zero (a circular economy accelerator program on Vancouver Island).
Prior to this, Paul served as Managing Director of Vancouver-based GLOBE Advisors and was the Conference Director for the GLOBE Series (from 2009-2016), considered one of the largest sustainability events of its type in the world. He was also a founding Executive Member of the BC Home Performance Stakeholder Council, as well as a member of the Program Advisory Committees for BCIT’s School of Business and UBC’s Masters in Energy Leadership (MEL) Program.
Paul has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Victoria, a Certificate in Environmental Stewardship from Camosun College, and a Diploma of Technology in Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship from BCIT’s School of Business.
Paul can be contacted at pshorthouse@circulareconomyleaders.ca
Since its inception, the global sustainability movement has been about advancing a society that thrives within nature's limits. Meanwhile, business leaders and economists have pursued the efficient use of resources to maximize profits and shareholder value.
A circular economy is a unifying concept that is about achieving these two ideals while tangibly improving the quality of life for families and their communities, both at home and abroad. This will be a defining issue and opportunity of our times, but achieving its full potential will require “all hands on deck” and an unprecedented level of collaboration between businesses, NGOs, academics and all levels of government.
"The elegant beauty behind a circular economy is that it’s an economy without a tailpipe. Nothing gets dumped into the ground, emitted into the atmosphere or shunted into our oceans and waterways. Waste is designed out of the system.
The current models of production, distribution and disposal need a radical transformation to enable a smarter, more productive cycle of productivity to emerge – one that will reveal both the economic and environmental benefits currently being overlooked. Unilever believes that the CELC can kickstart the critical mass of support needed across businesses, government and civil society to allow this economic transformation to occur."
"The National Zero Waste Council is leading Canada’s transition to a circular economy by bringing together governments, businesses and NGOs to advance a waste prevention agenda that maximizes economic opportunities for progressive innovators – ensuring all materials and products continue to circulate at their highest and best use.
Through cross-sectoral collaboration, we actively seek out and showcase the best and the brightest ideas to inspire mainstream adoption of circular business models. This focuses on material reuse as well as smarter product and packaging designs that protect the environment while minimizing costs and creating widespread economic opportunities."
"The solutions to the waste and carbon emissions require thoughtful, stable, harmonized public policy, which enables the private sector and citizens to mobilize. Loblaw Companies Ltd is therefore pleased to join the CELC and are committed to pursing the principles and practices of the Circular Economy throughout our all aspects of our business. Over the coming years we look forward to working with a wide range of players, from our employees, to customers and leaders across different sectors to contribute to the transition to Circular Economy in Canada."
"As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart aims to use our strengths and collaborate with others to make transformational change. We believe this approach is not only beneficial for our bottom line, but also creates shared value for our customers and society as a whole. In Canada, we’ve committed to achieving zero waste across our operations by 2025, resulting in less cost for our business and less carbon gas for the environment. Through collaborative initiatives like the Circular Economy Leadership Canada, we aspire to reshape the way we work to achieve significant and lasting improvement in environmental and social outcomes in a way that also improves our business."
"The move to a circular economy is gaining speed. Consumers want products with less waste – including carbon pollution waste –and more value. Global companies, cities and national governments are moving from a linear, high waste model to a cleaner, zero waste model. It's the smart business move."
"Canadian Tire Corporation prides itself on being a trusted Canadian brand and an integral part of Canadian communities, with a strong commitment to improving environmental and social outcomes for Canadians, our communities and our planet. We believe that collaboration amongst businesses, governments, NGOs, universities and other organizations, working to develop science-based solutions and sharing the levers necessary to effect those solutions, will help to sustain the quality of life we enjoy in Canada and lead to a better future."
"NEI Investments is Canada’s leader in Responsible Investing (RI) with a commitment to helping our clients grow wealth while advancing the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance of publicly-traded companies wherever we invest.
The curicular economy concept aligns perfectly with our beliefs about what it means to act responsibly, and our ability to work directly with companies to advance the sustainability goals of the circular economy movement."
"The circular economy, at its heart, is about shifting traditional resource and pollution challenges into opportunities. Instead of seeing these as nothing more than a waste problem, it’s about retaining the value of products, materials and resources in the economy through closed production and consumption loops."
"The transition to a circular economy holds plentiful opportunity – to truly maximize the value of products and materials, eliminate the concept of waste, and establish productive new relationships. Those who embrace this approach will see improved business performance along with better outcomes for communities and the natural world. IKEA Canada is committed to this economic transformation and recognizes the crucial role that the CELC will play in bringing together business, government, and citizens to accelerate the shift and capture the benefits."
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