Circular Plastics Taskforce receives support from Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation
The Circular Plastics Taskforce (CPT) has received support from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI), in the form of a financial contribution of over half a million dollars. This grant marks the official start of Phase II of the project led by the CPT, which aims to optimize the management of plastics across the recycling value chain through a better alignment between material recovery facilities (MRFs), recyclers and the needs of the different end markets for post-consumer recycled plastic. The financial partnership with the MEI, made possible thanks to Éco Entreprises Québec's involvement in financial support management, will allow the launch of the first pilot projects of Phase II, in addition to supporting the coordination of all planned activities.
Launched in 2020, the CPT is a collaborative effort of organizations wishing to find concrete solutions to improve the management of post-consumer plastics. It brings together five major food, beverage, and packaging companies in Canada (Cascades, Danone Canada, Dyne-a-pak, Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, and TC Transcontinental), the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), and Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ).
Phase I of the project was concluded in September 2021 with the publication of a White Paper highlighting the main findings and recommendations made by the CPT at the end of this first stage. Phase II, the development of which began in the Fall of 2021, will allow the deployment of several pilot projects in MRFs and at recyclers to improve the quality of outgoing materials and the overall recycling rate of plastic packaging in a practical way.
"We are very happy to be able to count on this significant support from the MEI, which allows us to implement concrete actions in the form of pilot projects that include process monitoring and procedure improvement scenarios. Like the MEI, the CPT relies on technological innovation as a driver of change and thus wishes to act as a catalyst to accelerate the establishment of a circular economy for plastics," says the CPT steering committee.
"Éco Entreprises Québec is proud to take part in CPT's Phase II as a member of the Steering Committee and as trustee of this project's financing. Such project offers tangible bases for the implementation of the modernization of Quebec's curbside collection system," said Maryse Vermette, CEO of ÉEQ.
"Our government is firmly committed to the path of sustainable development, and our support for the Circular Plastics Taskforce demonstrates this once again. By optimizing the management of post-consumer plastics, the organization helps to establish a circular economy that will allow our companies to adopt greener and more efficient processes," said the Minister for the Economy, Lucie Lecours.
The objective of the CPT for Phase II is to carry out or support projects which will make it possible to optimize the recycling of all plastic packaging, within the context of provincial extended producer responsibility programs. Several projects targeting certain priority resins will be deployed on an industrial scale in partnership with organizations along the value chain. In addition, two initiatives dealing with the systemic issues of traceability and the food-grade process will be deployed in parallel.
