NOVA Chemicals announces the company’s first mechanical recycling facility, operated by Novolex
by CM Staff
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 announces the company’s first mechanical recycling facility, operated by Novolex
CALGARY — NOVA Chemicals Corporation has made an expansion of its Circular Solutions business on Jul. 18 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 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 mechanical recycling business while exploring new advanced recycling technologies.
“NOVA Chemicals continues to show clear leadership in reshaping plastics for a better, more sustainable world,” said NOVA Chemicals President and CEO, Roger Kearns. “We are committed to helping our customers achieve their recycled content goals through a variety of business models and we look forward to making more announcements like this as we work to enable a low-carbon, zero plastic waste future.”
The facility will employ approximately 125 people. Connersville was strategically selected because of its access to abundant feedstock supply of post-consumer films from nearby metropolitan areas, and rail service for distributing SYNDIGO™ rPE to NOVA Chemicals’ customers. The facility will be operated by Novolex Holdings, LLC – a developer of packaging products for foodservice and industrial markets – leveraging experience in operating plastic film recycling facilities. The collaboration will increase the speed with which NOVA Chemicals ramps up its supply of SYNDIGO™ rPE to the market.
“Novolex is proud to collaborate with NOVA Chemicals’ Circular Solutions and is excited by the opportunity to operate this state-of-the art recycling facility in the Hoosier state,” said Novolex Chairman and CEO, Stanley Bikulege. “Indiana has long been a hub for sustainability, innovation, and business. The new plant will build on our experience of operating both our North Vernon plastics recycling facility in Indiana and our recycling plant in Wisconsin as well as accelerate our commitment to support recycling and the circular economy.”
“Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives and will continue to be a valuable resource in establishing a lower-carbon and sustainable world. They are an invaluable resource for furthering the North American circular economy,” said Greg DeKunder, Vice President, NOVA Circular Solutions. “This project with Novolex and the State of Indiana is yet another example of how NOVA Chemicals is working to find collaborative ways to recapture the value of plastic materials and use them again and again.”
