Novolex to process plastic film at Nova Chemicals’ new US mechanical recycling plant

21 Jul 2023 --- Nova Chemicals Corporation has expanded its circular solutions by developing its first mechanical recycling facility in Connersville, US. Novolex will operate the facility.

Novolex develops packaging products for foodservice and industrial markets, with over 15 years of experience operating plastic film recycling facilities. The collaboration will increase the speed with which Nova Chemicals builds its Syndigo recycled PE (rPE) supply to the market. 

The facility will process post-consumer plastic films to produce the company’s Syndigo rPE commercially starting from 2025, delivering over 100 million pounds of rPE to the market by 2026. 

“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,” says Greg DeKunder, vice president at 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 repeatedly.”

Going to Indiana 
Nova Chemicals president and CEO Roger Kearns says the company aims to show leadership in reshaping plastics for a more environmentally sustainable world.

Nova Chemicals will open a mechanical recycling facility to expand its recycling footprint. “We are committed to helping our customers achieve their recycled content goals through various business models, and we look forward to making more announcements like this as we work to enable a low-carbon, zero-plastic waste future,” asserts Kearns.

The town of Connersville was selected because of its access to an abundant feedstock supply of post-consumer films from nearby metropolitan areas and easy-to-access rail service for distributing Syndigo rPE to Nova Chemicals’ customers. 

“This investment is a testament to Indiana’s pro-growth business climate and our skilled Hoosier workforce, and we look forward to partnering with both companies to create new career opportunities and support the circular economy for years to come,” says Indiana’s governor Eric J. Holcomb.

Stanley Bikuleg, chairman and CEO at Novolex, adds: “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 and accelerate our commitment to support recycling and the circular economy.”

Increasing recycled content
Nova Chemicals plans to expand its recycling footprint over the coming years, supporting the company with reaching its industry-leading 2030 ambition of 30% recycled content as a share of its total PE sales.

The company recently announced its 2030 Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership aspirations. The aspirations included its anticipated investment of 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. 

The facility will employ approximately 125 people and be one of Connersville’s largest private employers. 

By Sabine Waldeck