Through the Innovative Solutions Canada program, four Canadian companies have been awarded grants to develop solutions to address plastic waste, with three of the four solutions involving textiles.
With a plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, including a ban on certain harmful single-use plastics, the Canadian government is awarding small and medium-sized Canadian companies up to $150,000 each toward developing their solutions.
The three companies with textile-related projects receiving funding in the Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenges are:
• CACITH Inc. (Tengiva), in Montréal, Quebec. CACITH is creating a network of recyclers to quantify textile waste and find new markets for otherwise wasted materials.
• Singular Solutions Inc., in North York, Ontario. Singular Solutions is developing a biosustainable additive that will cause plastic textile waste to biodegrade in long-term-composting landfill facilities.
• Met-Tech Inc., in Burlington, Ontario. Met-Tech is developing a low-cost process to recycle more textile waste such as clothing.