NOVA Chemicals Launches Canadian Centre Of Excellence For Plastics Circularity

• Creating a thriving ecosystem for global plastics circularity, built by North American industry players and Canadian research institutions
• Initiative builds on five decades of innovation and sustainability leadership
• Call for Expression of Interest from Canadian research institutes to focus on mechanical recycling, advanced recycling, and microplastics research

Today, NOVA Chemicals Corporation (“NOVA Chemicals”) announces the launch of its Centre of Excellence for Plastics Circularity (“Centre of Excellence”), a hub for knowledge exchange and technology development for the circular economy of plastics. The Centre of Excellence will serve as a network of industry innovators and Canadian research institutions who have a shared vision of furthering global efforts in sustainable plastics management.

NOVA Chemicals’ Centre of Excellence aims to further Canadian innovation, meet customer needs, and help achieve global plastics sustainability goals by focusing on two key objectives:

• R&D Collaboration – Addressing the complex challenges and opportunities of plastics circularity by fostering collaborative relationships and integrating expertise across disciplines, including material science, engineering, chemistry, environmental science, and public policy.
• Value Chain-Integrated Solutions – Ensuring solutions meet the needs of stakeholders across the value chain by actively working with strategic partners across industry, academia, and government to accelerate and deliver practical and scalable technologies.

“We welcome innovators from across Canada and beyond to join us in developing scalable solutions for the world’s most complex plastics challenges,” said Roger Kearns, President and CEO at NOVA Chemicals. “NOVA has an established reputation for working with others to spearhead innovation, and we are excited to continue bridging gaps between leading-edge ideas and commercially viable technologies.”

Adds Rocky Vermani, SVP of Sustainability and Innovation with NOVA Chemicals, “As the world looks to grow the circular economy, we are committed to investing in the technology and infrastructure needed to achieve global ambitions while ensuring Canada remains at the forefront of petrochemical and plastics innovation.”

Over five decades, NOVA Chemicals has grown from a small pipeline company on the prairies to a significant contributor to the Canadian economy and leading player in the North American petrochemical and plastics industry. The company’s scientists at its Centres for Applied Research and Performance Applications continually drive innovation and make up western Canada’s largest private research entity. NOVA Chemicals is also a founding member of Responsible Care, the global chemistry industry’s standard for health, safety, security, and environmental performance.

“We are pleased to see an Alberta-born-and-bred company taking a leading role in accelerating Canada’s leadership in the plastics circular economy by encouraging interprovincial collaboration and innovation. It’s this kind of initiative that leads to real action in protecting the environment while encouraging a prosperous economy.”

“This Centre of Excellence demonstrates a pragmatic approach to addressing the opportunities and challenges presented by plastic circularity. By fostering collaboration across sectors, the Centre of Excellence and its partners will be poised to deliver tangible solutions with real-world impact. We are pleased to support these efforts in advancing sustainability within our industry.”

“As a strategic partner, we fully recognize the value proposition that the Centre of Excellence represents for the betterment of the global circular economy. The COE’s commitment to continuous learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and disruptive innovation resonates deeply with our own organizational values, and we are eager to support its mission.”

In addition to building on the 20+ years of education and science support that NOVA Chemicals’ genScience initiative has provided to young STEM innovators, the Centre of Excellence will play a pivotal role in supporting the company’s 2030 Roadmap as it looks to lead the development of and transition to circular plastics. In 2023, the company announced its aspiration to achieve 30 per cent recycled content as a share of its total polyethylene sales by 2030 as part of its work to become the leading sustainable polyethylene producer in North America.

• NOVA Chemicals is launching its Call for Expression of Interest targeted for Canadian research institutions and focused on mechanical recycling, advanced recycling, and microplastics. More detailed information and how to apply can be found here (https://www.novachem.com/coe-plastics-circularity/).
• Key Dates:
  • March 14, 2024: EOI submissions open
  • April 19, 2024: EOI submissions close
  • May 30, 2024: Notification to applicants