Ontario's chemical companies are:

• producing products that stretch the full length of the value chain, from basic organic and inorganic chemicals to synthetic resins, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and formulated products.
• meeting the challenges of a greening economy. Investing millions to develop the next generation of polymers, advanced ceramics and bio-based products and technologies.
• employing 37,500+ and generating $19.4 billion in revenues.
• feeding their products into a spectrum of end-user markets - automotive, consumer electronics, forest products, packaging, construction and more.
• including $2,000 worth of chemical products in every car and truck produced in North America.
• shipping $8.8 billion in plastics products to the world. The global market for bio-based plastics alone is projected to be $10 billion by 2020.
• leading the safe and environmentally-sound management of chemical products through Responsible Care®. The initiative was born in Canada in 1985 and has been adopted by 53 countries.

Private and public sector Ontario researchers are:

• conducting about $13 billion in R&D every year. Apotex, DuPont Canada, Ford, GM, Husky Injection Molding Systems, IBM, INVISTA, LANXESS, Magna International, NOVA, Nortel, Suncor, Xerox are among those taking advantage of Ontario's R&D incentives.

The auto industry: Driving a greener future

Ontario is finding cleaner and greener solutions to the challenges faced by car makers and advanced manufacturers.

Several ground-breaking, interconnected initiatives are now underway:

1. The Ontario BioAuto Council
   • Industry leaders from the agricultural, automotive, chemical, forestry and plastics sectors are developing biomaterials from renewable feedstocks.
   • Helping companies develop new bioplastics and biocomposites for the auto sector, as well as bio-based construction and packaging materials.
   • Operating through a $6 million investment fund.
2. BioCar
   • Researchers from the universities of Guelph, Toronto, Waterloo and Windsor are working with industry partners to develop high performance, low cost materials based on hemp, wheat, corn, soybeans and canola.
3. The Bioindustrial Innovation Centre
   • 60,000 sq. ft. of research labs and equipment, pilot plant space, incubator suites and growth space for start-up companies.
   • Established to develop and commercialize environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuels.
   • Forging closer links between the petrochemical industry and the new bioeconomy.
   • Launched in 2007 with $10 million from the provincial government and support from the University of Western Ontario, the City of Sarnia and Lambton County.
4. Green Centre Canada
   • Green chemistry researchers, international industry partners and commercialization expertise under one roof.
   • Moving green chemistry innovations from the lab to the marketplace.
5. Sustainable Chemistry Alliance
   • Focused on science and engineering innovations to address sustainability: climate change, peak oil, energy security, the need for safe water, and the use of scarce natural resources.
   • Headquartered at the new Bioindustrial Innovation Centre at the Sarnia-Lambton Campus of the University of Western Ontario Research Park
6. Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE)
   • An initiative to transform the forest products industry in Northern Ontario.
   • Engaging industrial partners in developing bio-refinery pilot plants.