Science and Research Committee on Oct. 1st, 2024

[Sanjay Dubey]

With the Atlantic provinces, I think we can start with the university, Memorial University. I did a Ph.D., and I'm still doing my Ph.D. there. What I found when we reached out to the sustainability department was that it didn't have those data.

We asked if it had any information on the amount of plastic. Did it have any classification of those things? It didn't, so we decided that having partnerships with the sustainability departments in the universities can be really helpful. Where they can play, maybe, a third party, they can help us with making a strategy by which they can reduce plastic the reduce-recycle way. They can also look for alternative ways, like BioLabMate is doing.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Do you see a world where we can be less reliant on single-use plastic?

[Sanjay Dubey]

Yes, of course. Being young and being entrepreneurs, you know, we are talking to different people around the world. BioLabMate has been recently selected for one of the top accelerator programs for seaweed in Portugal, where we're going to see 20 different start-ups.

We say that there is a highlight and people are working. You see Europe, where the people are investing heavily in the bioplastic sector. You see Asia, where Japan, especially, generates the highest quantity of a biopolymer. They are also moving forward with something that is more than a plastic, you know. They want to resolve this issue from the root. I think the EPR is good, but the thing with bioplastic is that you are just closing the tap.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

On your website, you mention the potential for ocean-based, ocean-derived products as opposed to single-use products. How do the east coast or the Atlantic provinces factor in this innovation?

[Sanjay Dubey]

For making any bioplastic, you need to pin down any particular feedstock. You can make bioplastic from corn, starch, potatoes, whatever. When we were in the Atlantic region, we found that the seaweed also can be used for extracting biopolymers, but there are multiple purposes for seaweed. It was very advantageous for us because, first, the material made from the seaweed can be bio-based and biodegradable. Second, you do not require any cultivation. You don't need an agricultural farm. It can grow in the marine environment. Third, the best part about seaweed is that it's easy to cultivate and harvest, and fourth, the Atlantic regions have an abundant quantity of good-quality seaweed.

We thought that, okay, the feedstock issue has been resolved. Whenever you are building a bioplastic manufacturing plant, the highest risk is on your feedstock. If you can resolve that, it can welcome the investment for research and development. It can be scalable technology, you know.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

What can the federal government do to assist, or is it another level of government? Is it enterprise? Is it education, universities, colleges?

[Sanjay Dubey]

I think over the last two or three years when we started working with bioplastic, especially with the seaweed, we started seeing new things are coming, like the new accelerator program from the Ocean Supercluster and all those things. They started coming and supporting us. As well, there are provinces like Nova Scotia that are heavily building on those. Newfoundland started seeing the importance of seaweed as a secondary source of revenue for the fishermen, as well as using it for multiple purposes, including bioplastic.

We expect that the federal government can help with the understanding of these regulations on seaweed growing because whenever you are dealing with bioplastic, you require feedstock in a high quantity. There are strict environmental rules, but the growing of the seaweed has no harm on the environment.

There has to be some research done, so, of course, you need some money for the research. I just talked about the European partners, and we see those people, their universities and their governments heavily investing in the enhancement of bioplastic capacity at the university level.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

I'm sorry I didn't get to the other witnesses.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

Thank you.

We'll now turn to MP Blanchette-Joncas for two and a half minutes, please.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Kumari and Mr. Dubey, you said that we need more data. I want to understand exactly what data we need.

In the first hour of the meeting, the Circular Innovation Council said that we didn't need to conduct any more research. We already have an overview of the situation and we know what to do. I can understand innovation. However, when it comes to recycling, we already know what to do. We just don't do it.

Can you elaborate on this topic?

[Sanjay Dubey]

We need data in terms of how the plastic is used in the research lab and the medical facility. That's what I talked about. I remember when we gave a proposal to our university with regard to what we needed. The data was for the type of plastic they used, what types of experiments they performed, what kinds of life-sciences plastics they used for that particular part, the quantification, and where the inventory is. You know, inventory has to be matched to the disposal, where it is going. The plastic has to be matched.

This is something that can be questioned, and these types of things can help us to understand the proper quantification. If you have the proper quantification, you can say, “Okay, for this particular area, for research and medical facilities, this kind of plastic can be recycled. This can be the alternative.” This can be another source or way we can improve sustainability.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Data requires research. Do you feel that the federal government is currently making priority and substantial investments in research and innovation, particularly in plastics recycling?

You can simply answer yes or no. I don't need a scientific study.

[Sanjay Dubey]

Can you ask your question again?

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Do you need additional funding to carry out research and then to provide data on plastics recycling?

[Sanjay Dubey]

Absolutely. There's no question. With that, we can hire interns and we can make them work. We can have people and experts that we can talk to, because we don't have the knowledge for everything. We need people from different backgrounds to understand how we can make mitigations in our plans.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

That's our time.

For our final questioner, it'll be MP Ashton for two and a half minutes.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you very much.

My question is again for Ms. Saunders from Food, Health & Consumer Products.

We know that this past spring the government announced the creation of a plastics registry. We're wondering how this registry will impact producers and what data the registry should prioritize.

[Michelle Saunders]

Thanks very much.

We are actively engaged in discussions with Environment and Climate Change Canada on the establishment of the plastics registry. We fully support good data. This will be a really heavy lift for producers that, in fact, don't have a lot of the data that is requested.

Our recommendation to Environment and Climate Change Canada is to more closely and precisely align with definitions and terms in provincial EPR programs so that producers fully understand their obligations.

Really, our priority would be to focus on consumer-facing packaging, which is already captured under provincial EPR programs. That would be our priority as a start.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you for that.

In the time that I have remaining, which is probably about a minute, I'm wondering if you have any final thoughts that you'd like to share with our committee as we reflect on what kinds of recommendations we can bring forward.

[Michelle Saunders]

If that's for me, I would love to take that 30 seconds. Thank you very much.

Good data is absolutely mandatory for good decisions. We need that. We need research in plastics recycling and we need data.

Industry needs support. There have been tremendous external realities. The closure of China as an export market for us in 2018 and COVID in 2020 caused massive disruptions, both for the consumer packaged goods sector as well as the waste management sector.

What we're seeing now is cost and a lack of investment over time because we've had other priorities, like keeping businesses running and keeping our employees and families healthy. We need investments because we are faced with inflationary pressure, and we do not have the infrastructure in place today to meet our regulatory obligations or the goals of government. We're really looking for a lot of support and continued collaboration.

Thanks very much for that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

That is our time.

I want to thank our witnesses, Dr. Kumari, Mr. Dubey, Mr. Leclair and Ms. Saunders, for their testimonies and participation in the committee's study of innovation, science and research in recycling plastics.

If you have any additional information that you wish to submit, you may do so in written form through the clerk.

Our next committee meeting will be on Thursday, October 3. That will be our final session on the recycling of plastics.

Is it the will of the committee to adjourn?

The meeting is adjourned.