Ocean plastic: Nova Chemicals invests in ocean waste prevention program

31 Aug 2018 --- Nova Chemicals is investing US$2 million (1.5 million EUR) to prevent plastic debris from reaching the ocean. The three-year investment supports Project STOP, a new global initiative, co-created in 2017 by Borealis and SYSTEMIQ, to design and implement solutions to reduce marine plastic pollution especially in countries with high leakage of plastics into our oceans.

“We understand the growing concern about marine plastic pollution and agree we must take meaningful action to address this challenge. Nova Chemicals’ investment demonstrates our commitment to shaping a world that is even better tomorrow than it is today,” says John Thayer, Senior Vice President, Polyethylene Business at Nova Chemicals.

“Plastics are too valuable to be thrown away or left as litter. We’re working with Project STOP to find high-impact solutions to prevent plastic pollution in critical locations around the world.”

Southeast Asia has been identified as a major source of marine plastic debris as economic development and plastics consumption have outpaced the expansion of waste management systems in the region. Project STOP has chosen Indonesia as a primary focus region.

NOVA Chemicals’ investment will support the first city partnership in Muncar, a coastal fishing community located in Banyuwangi, Indonesia. With minimal waste services in place, many citizens are forced to dump their waste directly into the environment. Muncar was chosen as the first STOP location due to the seriousness of the challenge, coupled with strong leadership and environmental commitment at national, regency and local levels.

Project STOP was co-created in 2017 by Borealis and SYSTEMIQ. Borealis, a sister company of Nova Chemicals, is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers, and SYSTEMIQ is a firm that co-creates, incubates and invests in innovative solutions for sustainable land-use, material and energy systems.

“Project STOP represents an important step towards creating a plastics circular economy. We are more than pleased that, after our joint venture with Borouge, our sister company NOVA Chemicals joins forces with us in this industry-leading initiative,” explained Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis. “The collaboration of Borealis, Borouge and NOVA Chemicals highlights our commitment to help solve the issue of ocean plastic proactively.”

Project STOP has three primary objectives:

• Zero leakage of waste into the environment by ensuring waste collection services are available to all households and businesses, through increasing pick-up points, sorting facilities and staff.
• Increased recycling of plastics by strengthening the supply chain from waste collection to waste management companies.
• Benefits for the local community by creating new jobs in the waste management system and reducing the impacts of mismanaged waste on public health, tourism and fisheries.

“We are delighted to work with NOVA Chemicals to stop plastic pollution from reaching the world’s oceans,” said Martin Stuchtey, Founder and Managing Partner of SYSTEMIQ. “There is a great need to accelerate circular waste management solutions in Asia, and we are very excited to design and deliver this new city partnership model, working collaboratively with our global corporate partners and our government partners in Indonesia.”