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Canadian businesses to receive $1 million for development of plastic waste technology

Government of Canada supports three small businesses developing solutions to plastic pollution

Plastic pollution poses a threat to Canada's environment and economy as plastic ends up in landfills, litters parks and beaches, pollutes rivers, lakes, and oceans, and has harmful effects on wildlife. This is why the Government of Canada is supporting Canadian businesses in developing innovative solutions to plastic pollution.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change (ECCC), Jonathan Wilkinson, announced the three winners of the Plastics Innovation Challenges at GLOBE Forum 2020. These Canadian small- and medium-sized businesses will receive $1 million each to develop prototypes of their new technologies designed to address plastic waste from food packaging and construction.

Axipolymer based in Montreal, will create a recyclable multi-layer film that can be used for food packaging, GreenMantra Technologies from Brantford, will transform polystyrene insulation waste into new insulation, and MgO Systems from Calgary will use PVC waste from construction to produce new insulating materials.

Minister Wilkinson also announced, on behalf of Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, the launch of six new Plastics Challenges and three Clean Technology Challenges, through the Innovative Solutions Canada program.

These nine new Challenges call on Canadian innovators to develop solutions to:

  • Find sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging,
  • Reduce plastic waste from textiles,
  • Divert end-of-life vehicles' plastic from landfills,
  • Reduce e-waste,
  • Seek solutions for air purification,
  • Monitor microplastics in marine environments,
  • Recycling plastic into ceiling tiles,
  • Develop waste conversion techniques,
  • Develop energy producing window coverings.

The Challenges will be led by Environment and Climate Change Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, Shared Services Canada, and Global Affairs Canada.

The Innovative Solutions Canada program is a key component of the government's Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year plan to make Canada a global innovation leader and prepare Canadians to succeed in tomorrow's economy. As a part of the program, the Plastics Innovation Challenge supports Canadian-made clean technologies and Canada's vision of a zero plastic waste future.

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