It has already started to make a difference among manufacturers in the Victoriaville region, where it will soon build its new headquarters for 30 million. But ultimately, the City of Circular and Sustainable Innovation (CICD) wants to be active everywhere in Quebec.

Victoriaville likes to present itself as the cradle of recycling in Quebec. It is in fact in this town in Center-du-Québec that selective collection was born. The first blue bins appeared there in the early 1980s. The vision of people like Normand Maurice, but also the Lemaire brothers, from Cascades, also allowed the region to stand out, among other things in the recycling of cardboard and other materials such as paint.

This is why the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) has chosen to designate Victoriaville “City of circular and sustainable innovation”.

“The government has identified a few innovation zones in Quebec. The term “city” comes just after innovation zones. We are here to support these areas,” explains Frédérik Boisvert, interim director general of the CICD.

The City of Circular and Sustainable Innovation is working on the construction of its head office in Victoriaville, which should break ground in 2025. These new 40,000 sq. ft. facilities will be built on the land of the local CEGEP. Half of the new 30 million building will be devoted to research.

In the meantime, the CICD already collaborates with multinationals and SMEs, one of which, from Lévis, is based in the incubator of the Victoriaville Economic Development Corporation. This company makes vegetable leather from apple residue. “It’s the most beautiful symbol of the circular economy,” enthuses Mr. Boisvert.

In the Victoriaville region, SMEs in the furniture, industrial machinery and even agri-food sectors are interested in the circular economy, says Mr. Boisvert. What they have in common is that they use artificial intelligence.

The company Updata, an important player in the CICD, is an expert consultant in artificial intelligence.

“We implement algorithms to minimize losses and speed up processes,” explains Maor Zaltzhendler, president of Updata.

The businessman says, among other things, that he works with Armatures Bois-Francs. The latter manufactures reinforcing steel for the construction sector. Thanks to AI, the company is able to better calculate the needs of its customers and therefore reduce losses.

Same with the St-Méthode Bakery which, with the help of algorithms, seeks to reduce the quantity of downgraded breads, either because they are too small or too large. The downgrade can sometimes reach 3%, which is enormous when you consider that the Adstock bakery produces up to 4,500 loaves per hour.

Machinex, a manufacturer known worldwide for its equipment for sorting centers, is also in the sights of the CICD and Updata.