Circular Materials, in partnership with Éco Enterprises Québec (ÉEQ) and Recycle BC, are extending a global invitation for innovators to present plastic packaging sorting and recycling technology solutions to assist in significantly increasing plastic packaging recycling rates in Canada.
As of 2022 the Canada Plastics Pact estimated that the Canadian recycling rate for flexible plastic packaging such as plastic wraps and film packaging was 4%.
To address the low recycling rates for plastic packaging, several Canadian provinces and territories have set extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws which require producers of products that result in packaging waste to demonstrate that they have recycled plastic packaging back into products or packaging.
Notably, Ontario and Quebec have respectively set recycling targets for flexible plastic packaging of 50% and 40% by 2030.
A Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) process sponsored by Circular Materials, ÉEQ and Recycle BC, sets out a North American first effort to identify plastics sorting, mechanical and advanced chemical recycling technologies. It formally assesses their environmental and economic performance as the basis of selecting those that will be commercially deployed in plastic recycling supply-chains that are currently under development.
The objective of the REOI is not only to enhance the recycling of plastic packaging significantly for regulatory purposes but also to close the loop on plastics by returning recycled plastics to producers’ packaging manufacturing supply-chains, making it a fundamental next step to building a circular economy for plastic packaging in Canada.
Proponents with innovative processes capable of addressing various categories of plastic packaging outlined in the REOI are encouraged to respond and be a part of this transformative journey.
To learn more visit Circular Materials’ website at www.circularmaterials.ca/reoi.