Nova film recycling facility receives PCR certification

Nova Chemicals Corp.'s polyethylene (PE) film mechanical recycling facility in Connersville, Indiana, also known as Syndigo1, has achieved the Recycled Material Standard (RMS) certification from nonprofit GreenBlue. The third-party certification verifies that Nova’s Syndigo brand of recycled PE produced at the facility is 100 percent postconsumer recycled content.

Nova, based in Calgary, Alberta, says the comprehensive RMS certification process is earned through a rigorous series of audits and supply point verifications. With this certification, the RMS confirms that Nova’s Connersville facility meets all necessary requirements to trace feedstock to finished products.

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“The RMS certification is the latest achievement for the Syndigo1 facility, and it underscores Nova Chemicals’ commitment to advancing circular solutions and sustainable packaging for flexible plastics,” says Greg DeKunder, vice president of Nova Circular Solutions, a business of Nova Chemicals. “Beyond meeting RMS’ stringent traceability requirements, our customers can trust that they are receiving high-performing postconsumer recycled polyethylene.”

The 450,000-square-foot Syndigo1 facility, operated by partner and packaging developer Novolex, uses a mechanical recycling process to turn PE film collected from retail and distribution centers in Indiana and surrounding states into pellets, marketed under Nova’s Syndigo line of recycled linear low-density PE (LLDPE) resin for use in food and nonfood packaging.

In 2024, the company’s mechanical recycling process received a letter of non-objection (LNO) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirming the Connersville facility has the ability to produce postconsumer LLDPE suitable for food-contact applications.

Nova expects the facility will be capable of producing more than 100 million pounds of its Syndigo product annually by 2026—equivalent to 145,000 bales of plastic film that will be reprocessed and will avoid placement in landfills. The company says two of the facility’s four lines currently are operational, with the other two expected to be operational by the end of this year.