Investments

A $3.5M Commercialization Fund was formed in 2007 with the help of a $6M grant from the Ontario government. The purpose of the Fund was to accelerate the commercialization of new bioproducts using renewable resources and advanced technologies. Six projects were funded and overall leveraged an additional $7M in cash and in-kind from industry.
 
We are pleased to report that all projects have been successfully completed, with three projects coming in under budget. As a result of these six projects, 148 different bioproducts and formulations are currently available to customers and in total over two million bioproducts will be manufactured and sold in 2011. This figure is only expected to increase as sales continue to grow each year.
 
A final summary for each project is provided below.

Canadian General-Tower
$776,250 grant
 
Cambridge-based Canadian General-Tower (CG Tower) is North America’s leading supplier of flexible interior trim coverstock for seating, door panels, steering wheel wraps and instrumental panels to automotive OEMs in North America, as well as the largest producer of vinyl swimming pool liners in the world. As a result, CG Tower is one of the largest consumers of phthalates, purchasing up to 30,000,000 pounds per year.
 
Project
VEHREO - Replace crude oil-based phthalate plasticizers with biobased plasticizers in automotive interior coverstock
 
Highlights
  • Eliminates or minimizes the use of phthalate plasticizers (100% phthalate free)
  • Converts source from crude oil to organic oils (soybean and castor oil)
  • Soy and corn protein are incorporated into the top finish
  • Reduction in use of virgin polyester fibres by 55% with recycled PET from water and soft drink bottles
  • Phthalate plasticizers will not be emitted during processing
  • Similar (or better) look and feel compared to leather and other traditional coverstock
  • Perceived safer by the public since there are no phthalates
  • CGT was awarded a prestigious Network of Automotive Excellence (NoAE) Innovation Award for VEHREO last year in Germany
  • VEHREO has passed Toyota and other OEM testing and performance specifications; these OEMs intend to identify a part (such as seat covering, console cover, instrument panel, door insert wrap) in the near future for a vehicle program that will use VEHREO
For more product information:
www.cgtower.com
Patrick Diebel
Tel (519) 623-1630
Carpenter Canada Co.
$200,000 grant
 
The Woodbridge, Ontario manufacturing plant of Carpenter Canada is the largest supplier for the Ontario bedding foam market, including key accounts such as Sealy, Serta and Kingsdown, through well-established retailers such as Sears and Sleep Country.
 
Project
RenewTM - Replace between 5% and 20% of petroleum-based polyols with soy polyol into the manufacture of conventional, Hypersoft quilting and Visco-elastic (Memory) polyurethane bedding foam
 
Highlights
  • Reduces dependency on petroleum-based chemicals by using soy polyol
  • Equivalent performance with environmental benefits
  • Hypersoft quilting foam, with unique qualities and specifications to Carpenter, now contains biopolyol
  • 50% of total current plant production is biofoam
  • Over 80% of customers purchase some or all foam with bio-content
  • Biofoam product line has supported new markets for the Woodbridge plant such as camping mattresses and pet beds, as well as the potential to expand geographically into the northern United States
  • Successful incorporation of soy polyol into Visco-elastic foam further confirms Carpenter Canada’s position as a leader and innovator in the biofoam bedding market
  • Carpenter Canada customers are able to market and sell ‘green’ product lines to end-consumers
For more product information:
Dale Nelson
Tel (905) 851-6962
    

GreenCore Composites Inc.
$755,000 grant

GreenCore Composites is a cleantech company specializing in advanced natural fibre reinforced thermoplastic materials, with manufacturing facilities in Mississauga, Ontario. 
 
Project
NCell™ high performance natural fibre composites - Improve the productivity of manufacturing technology processes resulting in higher capacity, lower capital required and process flexibility, and develop an expanded range of composite formulations
 
Highlights
  • Able to replace synthetic polymer content by up to 40% with natural fibre compounds
  • Can replace glass fibres up to 100% using wood fibres
  • Approximately 20% lighter on average than traditional glass fibre materials
  • Lower CO2 and enhanced recyclability due to the wood fibre component
  • Material is less expensive
  • Higher performing physical properties compared to other natural fibre composites currently available
  • Long term source is established for wood fibres
  • NCell™ incurs less wear and tear on production equipment than glass fibres
  • Skooper garden tool (manufactured using GreenCore’s natural fibre compounds) is commercially available in garden stores throughout Southern Ontario and online
  • Trials with automotive tier one companies and OEMs in North America, Europe and Japan are ongoing
  • Recent significant additional financing allows GreenCore to move forward aggressively on sales and marketing 
For more product information:
Geoff Clarke
Toll-free (855) 255-5422

Magna Exteriors & Interiors
$500,000 grant
  
Magna Exteriors & Interiors, an operating unit of Magna International Inc., is a global manufacturer of automotive interior and exterior parts with 10 production plants in Ontario. These plants produce parts and subassemblies such as bumper systems, interior trim and door panels that are primarily made of plastic.
 
Project
CellForm™ - Produce a strong, light-weight sandwiched loadfloor using a soy-based polyurethane composite with natural fibre reinforcement surrounding a 100% recycled cardboard honeycomb core
 
Highlights
  • Can reduce use of petroleum-based polyol by up to 50%
  • Up to 50% lighter than traditional loadfloors or an estimated 7.5lbs in average weight savings per loadfloor
  • Higher strength than traditional loadfloors
  • Believe this to be the lightest, unsupported (no centre structure such as a spare tire or heavy steel reinforcements required across large spans) loadfloor made from renewable materials available in the global marketplace
  • Increased cargo space because no supports are required for the loadfloor
  • Lighter weight makes it easier for the end-consumer to use, lift and adjust the loadfloor, especially in larger vehicles
  • Weight savings increases fuel efficiency and lowers CO2 emissions
  • Loadfloors with 100% recycled cardboard honeycomb core are in production for various OEMs in several vehicle platforms
For more product information:
Brad Armstrong
Tel (905) 760-3255


Valle Foam
$330,578 grant

Valle Foam, headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, is a leading manufacturer and fabricator of slab stock polyurethane foam, primarily for the household furniture industry.
 
Project
BioPlush™ - Eliminate up to 25% of dependence on non-renewable, oil-based polyols with biobased polyols in all flexible polyurethane foam product lines
 
Highlights
  • Soy and castor polyol replace petroleum-based polyol
  • 85% of all foam manufactured by Valle Foam contains 5% to 15% of biopolyol
  • Aggressively investigating opportunities that will allow a significant increase in the content levels of soy polyol
  • Soy/castor polyol prices are less volatile than petroleum-based chemicals and more economical when oil prices are high; this allows for more consistent and competitive pricing for customers and ultimately end-consumers
  • Acquired new customers as result of the BioPlush™ project
  • Considering new biofoam opportunities in product packaging applications
  • BioPlush™ enables North American customers of Valle Foam to compete with better quality, environmentally focused products against low cost, global imports
  • Allows Valle Foam customers to have a more responsible image in the marketplace
  • Valle foam is committed to greener product options for responsible and moral reasons, and is not just cost-driven; they entered into the biofoam market with the intention to stay 
For more product information:
Dale McNeill
Tel (905) 453-8054 
 

Woodbridge Foam
$1,000,000 grant

With its head office and several plants in Ontario, Woodbridge Foam is a global manufacturer of automotive interior parts such as seating cushions, headliners, head restraints, armrests, load floors, acoustical and energy management products and composites.
 
Project
Stratas™ Bioheadliner composite - Develop a headliner system that is thinner, lightweight, with unique sound absorption properties and contains biopolyol, and incorporate the use of natural fibres to replace glass fibres in the headliner composite
 
Highlights
  • Reduced toxic chemicals by over 90% in headliner production
  • 10% reduction on average to date in the use of glass fibres in headliners
  • Lightest Bioheadliner available globally
  • 40% lighter compared to competitive traditional headliners or approximately 1.6kg to 2kg lighter on average
  • Higher stiffness and strength to weight ratio than traditional glass fibre containing composites
  • Thinner headliner allows for more headroom in vehicle
  • Equal, if not better, acoustical performance
  • Using proprietary thermoforming process which significantly reduces energy utilization and minimizes VOC
  • Bioheadliner is now in production in several Ford, GM and other OEM vehicle platforms    
For more product information:
Hamdy Khalil
Tel (905) 851-3910