A new sustainable development research centre has been launched at Polytechnique Montreal.

The Centre interdisciplinaire de recherché sur l’opérationnalisation du développement durable (CIRODD) will unite 71 researchers from 11 universities, three Collèges d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) and a technology transfer centre.

CIRODD’s mission is to “conduct, co-ordinate, integrate and transfer research on the operationalization of sustainable development, with the ultimate goal of facilitating the emergence of a green economy.”

This will be the first strategic group to focus on sustainable development in Quebec. The researchers have expertise in a range of topics including corporate social responsibility, eco-design, green logistics and environment policy and law. The members of CIRODD are also active in key industries in Quebec such as aerospace, construction and real estate, forestry, and mobility and transportation.

“The main obstacles to the operationalization of sustainable development are undoubtedly ambivalence on the part of business and a lack of knowledge,” says Réjean Samson, director and general manager of CIRODD and professor in the department of chemical engineering at Polytechnique Montreal.

The centre will have four major research components: measurement of sustainable development; operationalization tools for businesses; resources for socio-economic integration; and transfer to users.

It will allow those from different disciplines to conduct research together in order to generate sustainable solutions that will prepare both the business community and the public for the transition to a green economy.