SARNIA, ON – The Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, which will help an emerging new industry across Canada to commercialize sustainable technologies and processes, has announced its inaugural Board of Directors.
Co-Chair Steve Bolt says the board draws on a broad range of expertise across the value chain. “We have pulled together various groups into a single alliance focused on implementing a sustainable hybrid chemical industry that integrates bio and traditional industries. Along with a 50% reduction in emissions over the next 10 years across the sector, we are targeting significant new investments in both fossil and bio-based operations at a rate of one every two years. The aim is to boost sector employment by 10,000 within 10 years.”
Dr. Murray McLaughlin, founding president and CEO of the SCA, says projects currently under consideration for funding support from the alliance include biofuels facilities, waste recycling, value added processes, new technologies and biomass production. “There is a huge opportunity for the Southwestern Ontario region and Canada to become world leaders in the development and commercialization of sustainable technologies and processes.”
With initial funding from the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, and from private sources, the alliance will provide more than $5 million in funding over the next five years. Funding will be targeted to the highest potential emerging innovations and breakthroughs. A key SCA goal to support the commercialization process is to leverage up to an additional $15 million in funding capability in its first year of operation.
The alliance identifies areas where innovation in science and engineering can bring about major advances in sustainability. Sustainable chemistry is playing an important role in the development of solutions to the impacts of climate change, peak oil, energy security, the need for safe water, and the use of scarce natural resources. The increasing global demand for green and safer products offers the opportunity to create thousands of new jobs for Canadians.
Members of the inaugural board of directors for the Sustainability Chemistry Alliance are:
Dr. Murray McLaughlin, President and CEO of the SCA;
Steve Bolt, Co-Chair of the SCA and retired Eastern Canada Operations Director for Dow Chemical Canada Inc.;
Dr. Bernard West, Co-Chair of the SCA and former President & CEO of CANSOLV Technologies of Montreal;
Joel Adams, Director of The University of Western Ontario Research & Development Park;
Paul Clark, President, VisionGain Consulting Inc. and former VP Research & Technology for NOVA Chemicals Corp.;
Jean Hamel, GM and Director of Research at FPInnovations;
Cam Harris, VP Process and Technology Global West in the Mining and Minerals division of WorleyParsons;
George Mallay, General Manager of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership;
A.J. (Sandy) Marshall, President and Managing Director of LANXESS Inc. and Head, Technical Services North America;
Richard Paton, President & CEO of the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association (CCPA);
Dr. Gord Surgeoner, President of Ontario Agri-Food Technologies;
William White, retired President of DuPont Canada.
About the Sustainable Chemistry Alliance:
The SCA serves the emerging new industry in Canada. The alliance evolved from the former Ontario Chemistry Value Chain Initiative, which had been implementing a strategy designed to bridge the gap between biochemistry and synthetic chemistry. The SCA is now working with private firms, government academic institutions, research institutes, non-government organizations, communities and farmers. It is active in sectors that include petrochemical and refining, automotive, forestry, plastics and packaging.
SCA headquarters are located at the new Bioindustrial Innovation Centre at the Sarnia-Lambton Campus of the University of Western Ontario Research Park.
For more information contact:
Dr. Murray McLaughlin
President & CEO
1086 Modeland Rd., Sarnia, ON N7S 6L2
Tel: (519) 383-8303 ext, 237 Cell: (519) 550-5525
Email: murraym@suschemalliance.ca
Website: www.suschemalliance.ca