New Plant-Based Manufacturer Sets Up at Edmonton International Airport

Plant Plus to manufacture plant fibre products in Alberta Aerospace and Technology Cen More private investment is coming to Edmonton International Airport (EIA) in 2020. Manufacturing company Plant Plus will be establishing their production line in the Edmonton Metro Region as the newest tenant in EIA’s Airport City beginning in early July.

Plant Plus’ Plant Fiber Polymer tech (PFP tech) products are made from natural plant materials and have been shown by various third-party laboratories not to contain or release toxins. They are reusable, recyclable, compostable alternatives to plastic or paper.

By locating their production line and distribution center at EIA and joining the Alberta Aerospace and Technology Centre (AATC), Plant Plus will be able to participate in more collaborative opportunities with partner companies on airport and with EIA’s regional commercial partners. This strategic move will allow Plant Plus to introduce their advanced plant fibre technology into Canada. This move will also help strengthen EIA’s strategic efforts to help diversify Alberta’s and the rest of western Canada’s economy, while expanding economic activity at the airport.

“We are excited and proud to join EIA’s business family! It’s a great opportunity to have a strong business partner to support us in our early stages. The goal of introducing integrated plant fiber technology into Canada will finally be achieved, and it will contribute into EIA-AATC’s green system for a better and sustained economic cycle," said Chenghsun Hsu, CEO & founder of Plant Plus.

“It’s great to see our competitive tax rates, talented workforce and focus on economic diversification attract more private investment to Alberta. This investment is part of our $1.4 billion value-added agriculture investment attraction goal that is slated to create over 2000 new Alberta jobs. I congratulate Plant Plus for choosing to invest in our agriculture sector and to help strengthen Alberta’s economy," said Honourable Devin Dreeshen, Alberta minister of agriculture and forestry.

Plant Plus utilizes both renewable materials and recycling from agricultural waste. The company produces single use items, like sugarcane straw production, and will provide services for customized products such as reusable cups, mobile phone cases, flower pots, furniture, building materials etc., with an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, which provides recovery of damaged products and recycling of renewable materials. The net results of their efforts are:

• added value for agricultural industry, by creating additional by products
• reduced carbon emissions from resource extraction, manufacturing and shipping, by extending product life cycle, track carbon footprint.
• reduced plastic waste away from landfill and environment.

The Plant Plus team’s products are an innovative solution to the plastic waste problem; a reusable, readily recyclable, and truly compostable alternative to reduce and hopefully remove the use of conventional plastic in a different way. Their most important feature is to recycle products and achieve a circular economy, not just change the materials or extend a product’s service life. By producing a single-use, recyclable product, Plant Plus can help the environment and provide additional benefits. For example, single use items prevent the spread of disease or viruses, help disabled people and have medical uses, all without any worry about the products being damaged or needing to be cleaned. Plant fibre products can function the same way as the plastic products they replace, ensuring that their the impact to the user is minimal. The simple answer for the plastic waste problem is that single use items should be compostable, and reusable items should include an EPR program.

“Our region is increasingly known for innovation. Plant Plus’ decision to locate its production and distribution facility at the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) will not only benefit our local economy, it will provide a whole new set of sustainable packaging options for the agriculture industry, for health and life sciences, and for a myriad of use-cases that I’m sure we’ll see spring up across the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. EIA has established itself as the core hub for international cargo and Plant Plus is about to make our region’s importance to the global supply chain even more clear. Well done and welcome to your new home," said Malcolm Bruce, Edmonton Global CEO.

“This is a perfect example of how Airport City and the AATC work. Plant Plus will import materials and build technology which will increase the production of agricultural products for export from North America," said Tom Ruth, EIA President and CEO.