NOVA Chemicals Corporation has made a significant expansion of its Circular Solutions business today by announcing an investment into developing its first mechanical recycling facility in Connersville, Ind. The facility will process post-consumer plastic films to produce the company’s SYNDIGO™ recycled polyethylene (rPE) at commercial scale as early as 2025, delivering over 100 million pounds of rPE to the market by 2026. NOVA Chemicals plans to expand its recycling footprint over the next several years to help it reach its industry-leading 2030 ambition of 30 per cent recycled content as a share of its total polyethylene sales. The company recently announced its 2030 Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership aspirations, including its anticipated investment of between US$2-4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings, decarbonize its assets, and build a state-of-the-art mechanical recycling business while exploring new advanced recycling technologies.

Recycling has come a long way. It was not long ago that you had to sort materials into separate bins yourself and then drive them across town to find a drop-off. Nowadays, single sort and curbside pick-up are more common and make recycling easier. As a result, the number of households that recycle continues to rise. Labels have also become easier to read as the industry transitions from numbers-based (e.g. 1, 2, 3) to easy-to-read labels from How2Recycle®. Recycling is an important step you can take in your own life to reduce your environmental footprint. Every material and component is different in its recyclability: •Metal Cans (Aluminum & Steel): These are accepted by most recycling programs. •Plastic: Since there are different types of plastic, recyclability varies based on material and other factors. •Glass: This is accepted by most recycling programs. •Paper/Cardboard: Paper is one of the most commonly recycled items.

On June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a decision that no additional regulations are needed to address storm water discharges from forest roads under the Clean Water Act. In its decision, the EPA recognizes the success of state best management practices (BMPs), which are proven to be effective in protecting water quality. The EPA also recognizes the role of forest certification programs, including SFI, which “have made important contributions to improved BMP implementation through logger training, landowner outreach, and water quality requirements.” The EPA decision specifically points to the SFI Logger Training and Education Program, which “ensures loggers are educated about using and maintaining appropriate forest road BMPs.” Thanks to the logger training requirements in the SFI Standards and the dedication of the SFI community, training was provided for more than 10,000 resource and harvesting professionals in 2015 and more than 170,000 total since 1995 (this total may include individuals who have completed training programs more than once). Ninety-five percent of the fiber delivered to SFI Program Participant mills was delivered by harvesting professionals who have been trained in sustainable forestry practices.