Nova publishes progress report on its environmental, social, and governance goals

Photo Credit: Nova Chemicals Corp.

Calgary-based Nova Chemicals Corp. has published its 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report to share progress on its goals of building a circular economy for plastics, advancing its inclusion and diversity strategy, and finding solutions for industrial decarbonization.

“This year’s report details how we are integrating our ESG priorities into how we do business – from how we engage our people, to how we make our facilities safer and higher performing, to how we prepare for a future with less carbon and more recycled plastic,” said Nova president and CEO Luis Sierra in a July 6 news release. “I am also pleased to share that we are now a participant in the United Nations Global Compact”.

Despite what company officials referred to as supply chain challenges, weather events, and energy market dynamics, Nova said it has made progress in several key areas of its ESG strategy, including entering into three collaboration agreements to supply recycled polyethylene resins (rPE) to its customers, begin railcar shipments of rPE, and introduce next-generation moisture barrier resin to expand the recyclability of food packaging applications.

Also, the company created its first-ever employee “Inclusion and Diversity Council” in 2021 and set new targets for hiring and engagement practices. By the end of 2030, Nova said, it aspires to achieve a 10 per cent increase in diversity across all levels of the organization from its 2020 baseline; 30 per cent representation of women across all levels of the organization; a five per cent increase in representation of people of colour in leadership from its 2020 baseline; and a 10 per cent increase in women in leadership from its 2020 baseline.

Also, Nova elaborated on its vision to achieve Goal ZERO (zero injuries and incidents). “In 2021, [we] achieved strong safety performance with a 0.27 combined employee and contractor recordable injury rate,” the news release said. “This was accomplished in a year of significant construction activity as [we] made progress towards completion of construction on [our] new Advanced Sclairtech technology facility (AST2) and ethane cracker facility near Sarnia, Ontario.”