The projects that make a difference

The Clean50 Top Projects annually recognize those projects completed in the prior two years based on their innovation, their ability to inform, and inspire other Canadians. The Top Project of the year is then selected each year at the Clean50 Summit, from votes cast by both incoming and Alumni members of the Clean50.

2026

2025 National Cleantech Industry Survey Insights

To support Canada’s net-zero goals, Natural Resources Canada launched a national cleantech survey targeting more than 2,000 pure-play firms. Developed with industry associations across Canada, the National Cleantech Industry Survey captured over 600 responses from firms and revealed…

2026

AI-Powered Marine Mammal Protection

Marine mammal detection traditionally relies on slow, manual methods, creating delays in conservation response and resource-intensive processes. Montreal-based startup Whale Seeker developed Möbius to automate detection, accelerate response times, and significantly improve accuracy and efficiency, directly addressing urgent…

2026

Amplify Impact

HP’s Amplify Impact program is a game changer for the tech industry. This award-winning program aims to drive sustainability performance deep into the channel Partner value chain worldwide, representing an impressive investment in systems change by HP. Designed…

2026

​​AquaHacking Innovation Challenge​

In 2016 AquaAction launched the 10-month AquaHacking innovation program for freshwater, offering intensive mentorship to diverse youth participants willing to dip their toes in water tech. Since 2023, AquaAction has run four AquaHacking Challenges in key regions of…

2026

Ashnola Watershed Wildfire Reforestation

In August 2023 a devastating wildfire scorched 44,000 hectares of the Ashnola Watershed, severely impacting the land and its ecosystems. In response the Lower Similkameen Indian Band joined forces with Tree Canada and Cariboo Carbon Solutions to launch…

2026

Better Condos Boot Camp: it works!

Better Condos Boot Camp (BCBC) is a 1-day in-person workshop that dramatically improves the knowledge (115% improvement) and attitudes (85% improvement) of condo decision-makers who need to be on board for deep-energy retrofits and decarbonization. Condo managers, board…

2026

Building Retrofit: Guinness World Record Solar BIPV Mural

The SunRise, a residential tower in Edmonton, underwent a deep energy retrofit to replace aging cladding while meeting a 50% decarbonization target. Mitrex designed and delivered a 267 kW building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) facade featuring a Guinness World Record–setting…

2026

Chill Smarter, Brew Greener

To crack open energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, Tin Whistle Brewing partnered with the City of Penticton to analyze energy use and identify savings opportunities. A key part of the project involved decommissioning a 25-year-old rooftop cooling…

2026

Chinguacousy Beneficial Soil Reuse Site (CBSRS)

The Region of Peel transformed a closed landfill into the Chinguacousy Beneficial Soil Reuse Site (CBSRS). Launched in August 2024, the CBSRS addresses the challenge of managing excess soil from construction projects. Capable of repurposing 500,000 cubic metres…

2026

Convention Center Zero Waste Transformation

Faced with a mere 50% waste diversion rate and escalating costs, Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC) awarded Happy Stan’s Recycling Services (HSR) their resource management contract. HSR took full control of all waste streams while providing consulting services—including internal…

2026

Deep Retrofit Acceleration in Atlantic Canada

Founded in 2020, the ReCover Initiative mobilized over $19 million to accelerate scalable, equitable deep retrofits across Atlantic Canada, a region with aging building stock, high energy burdens, and limited retrofit infrastructure. The project created 19+ green jobs,…

2026

Elocity launched Canada’s largest multi-residential EV charging

An impressive 1212 Elocity-powered smart chargers installed at Richmond Centre, a landmark mixed-use development in British Columbia, collectively manage approximately 8 MW of EV load—enough to power 3000–4000 homes. Utilizing AI-driven demand response and off-peak energy optimization, the intelligent…

2026

First year of Unilever’ Decarbonization Action Plan S

Enviro-Stewards and Unilever completed a process integration study and decarbonization action plan at Unilever’s Hellman’s Mayonnaise Rexdale production facility. Half to two thirds of thermal energy discharge will be avoided through conservation and reuse with the remainder supplied…

2026

Forward Fulfillment, Fewer Emissions: Eco-Friendly Returns

Global e-commerce returns are wasteful, carbon-intensive, and often end in landfill. ReturnBear’s forward fulfillment model keeps returns in-country, eliminating unnecessary international shipping and reducing emissions by up to 96%. In just eighteen months, ReturnBear has processed over one…

2026

From Doorstep to Reuse: The Good Bin Pilots in Montreal

From old paint to worn-out shoes, Le Bon Bac makes responsible disposal as easy as leaving it outside your door. Partnering with Canadian businesses and non-profits, the service ensures materials are reused or recycled locally. By showing the…

2026

Gay Lea’s Sustainability Journey

One of Gay Lea Foods’ Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments is to reduce their carbon footprint, building toward a more sustainable future. To get things moo-ving the outstanding-in-numerous-fields farmer-owned Canadian co-operative established a baseline GHG accounting inventory. The…

2026

Great Bear Forest Carbon Projects

Great Bear Forest Carbon Projects are globally recognized Indigenous-led climate initiatives generating up to 1 million tonnes of carbon credits annually. Emerging from decades of land use planning and negotiation between First Nations and the Government of BC…

2026

Green Building Technology Network

Four years ago, the Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association (SSRIA) launched the Green Building Technology Network (GBTN) to accelerate clean technology adoption in Alberta’s buildings. Phase one supported twenty demonstration projects across the province, spanning new builds and…

2026

Guiding Existing Buildings to Net Zero Emissions

With buildings responsible for approximately 51% of Peel Region’s corporate emissions, the Office of Climate Change and Energy Management launched a bold and innovative initiative in 2023. They developed a Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Building Retrofit Standard—a first-of-its-kind…

2026

Invest Together

Spring is increasing the flow of investment capital into Canadian climate innovation startups. Recognizing the systemic underfunding of underrepresented founders, they prioritize creating equitable ac   cess to funding. Their Invest Together in Climate Innovation program trained sixteen…

2026

Largest Individually-owned Conservation Project in Canada

With support from the Ontario Conservation Accelerator, 26,300 acres of forest, wetlands, and lakes south of Bancroft, Ontario have now been formally recognized by the Governments of Ontario and Canada as a protected area. This property, known as…

2026

National LCA Training Program

Canada’s building sector is a major GHG emitter, and we need to put our houses, and all our construction projects in order. Their deep knowledge of these topics prompted NRC, RAIC, and Ha/f to launch nationwide in-person and…

2026

National-Scale Methane Census

For years, Canada’s climate policy had to rely on crude, slow-to-update estimates of methane emissions which significantly impeded mitigation efforts. Carleton University’s Energy & Emissions Research Lab (EERL) launched the National-Scale Methane Census to close this critical gap,…

2026

Overcoming Limits: A New Path for Housing Electrification

A social housing complex near Ottawa sought to replace inefficient baseboard heaters with heat pumps to cut energy use and improve tenant comfort. Early assessments revealed a major roadblock: the property’s electrical panels and utility service lacked the…

2026

Phoenix House

When B.C. homeowners lost their home to a fire they decided to rebuild with a bold, personal, but also planetary vision. They set out to demonstrate how residential construction can achieve deep carbon reductions while remaining practical and…

2026

Regenerative Farms Feed Communities

Farms for Change channels produce from The New Farm—Canada’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® vegetable farm—and a network of like-minded growers to Good Food Organizations serving low-income communities. In collaboration with Right to Food (Formerly Community Food Centres Canada),…

2026

Renewable Energy Waste Recycling

Fully Indigenous owned sustainable solutions company SUNSET Renewable Asset Management is pioneering the first-of-its-kind renewable energy waste recycling industry in Canada. By working to recover critical minerals and preserve natural resources from early loss, re-powered, and end of…

2026

Residential Energy Retrofit Navigator and Accelerator

Energy Neighbour surmounts the challenge of GHG reduction in the single-family residential sector by providing no-cost guidance to homeowners to help them understand their technology options, navigate government financing programs, and work with carefully vetted contractors. One-on-one guidance…

2026

Run-of-the-River Hydro Electric Facility

Initiated by the Inuit community of Inukjuak in 2008 and operational since November 2024, the Innavik Project, a new hydro facility, will produce enough energy for the community’s basic electrical needs and provide electrical heating in all the…

2026

Smart Forest Reforestation

To tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, veritree launched their proprietary Smart Forests system. Smart Forests combines local ecology expertise with advanced tools like Lidar, satellite imagery and ground-based technology, including bioacoustic sensors, trail cameras, and dendrometers. In…

2026

Sustainable retail bag enables post-wildfire reforestation

When regulations required fees for reusable bags, TELUS launched a nationwide transition to Tree Totes, made from 100% post-consumer recycled cotton. For every Tree Tote purchased, one tree is planted in Canadian post-wildfire restoration areas. In its first…

2026

The Chair of Generations

Mères au front and youth across Quebec have contributed to the adoption of nearly 170 Chairs of Generations by municipal councils, provincial and federal constituency offices and institutions. Crafted by children, each chair is placed at a decision-making…

2026

The Green Resilience Project

The Green Resilience Project (GRP) partners with local organizations to host activities that explore connections between climate change, income security, affordability issues, and community resilience. The GRP has partnered with 51 organizations from across Canada, 62% of which…

2026

The Reconnection Project

Launched in 2024, Environmental Defence Canada’s Reconnection Project works to generate public engagement on environmental issues at the community level and build connections with local residents through conversations and events. Already active in eight regions surrounding the GTHA,…

2026

Unlocking Net Zero Pathways for SMEs

Faced with the challenge of decarbonizing Atlantic Canada’s manufacturing sector, Green Economy Canada guided four small and medium-sized enterprises through net-zero technical studies, mapping out practical pathways for emissions reductions. From energy efficiency and solar potential to grid…

2026

Willow-Powered Nature Solution

Environment services company Ramo is leading a nationwide circular economy project to plant 85 million willow trees, growing nature-based solutions that rehabilitate marginal lands and support climate action. With 20 million willow trees already in the ground—Ramo’s goal…

2026

Youth Climate Corps

Since its launch in 2020, Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) has scaled rapidly to engage over than 100 young British Columbians in paid, hands-on climate action across more than ten communities, from urban centres to remote Indigenous Nations.…

2026

Zero30

Launched in 2023, Zero30 is Saint John Energy’s ambitious plan to create a roadmap to net-zero emissions by 2030. This award-winning municipally owned utility is drawing up a roadmap that blends local renewable generation, battery storage, and smart…