Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub: Global Innovation, Regional Opportunity
by Steve Millard and Brian Anderson
The announcement of a $51 million Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub award for Greater Akron on July 2 was an important milestone for the start of a new wave of innovation and opportunity for our region. Much has been written recently about the award, but we thought it was important to explain how the award unfolded and the opportunity it represents for Greater Akron and our polymer industry.
In 2019, our region’s Elevate Greater Akron initiative identified the need for making bigger bets on our economic future. Building on our polymer legacy was an opportunity we agreed to pursue. That led to the creation of an industry-driven Polymer Industry Cluster that developed strategies and working groups to shape the success of the industry longer term. In addition to workforce initiatives; a focus on startups; and, efforts to increase relationships within the industry; significant attention has been paid to an agenda of research and innovation to address sustainability. Over the next decade, we envision a need for more than $200 million in investment to realize our full potential. This first, large award is a great down payment on that future.
COVID exposed U.S. supply chain dependencies on foreign markets, threatening both national and economic security. That has led to a refocus on industrial policy to advance U.S. innovation and global leadership in key opportunity areas. The CHIPS and Science Act provided resources for investment to pursue those opportunities. As a result, our region competed with more than 200 other communities and was designated as one of 31 “Tech Hubs” for the United States. From quantum computing to agricultural and energy innovations, these hubs are centers for advancing global innovation in our country. Our region has been designated as The Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub of the United States – an important recognition of the assets and opportunities that exist here. Further competition among the 31 led to the implementation grants announced on July 2nd. We were one of 12 awarded nationally and tied for the highest award.
These resources will fund five game-changing sustainable polymer technology development projects; a workforce project; and support for the cluster itself to coordinate the success of these specific efforts. For each of the five late-stage technology development projects, specific groups of companies, researchers and other stakeholders will collaborate to bring solutions to industry over the next five years.
The success of this work will put Greater Akron, Northeast Ohio, and our companies and innovators at the center of important sustainability advances. It creates a destination in our region for attracting new businesses, private investment, and talent. It also will create new jobs – not only for the development and production of these new technologies, but also for a new wave of life cycle assessment analysts and range of production and operations jobs that will require training and upskilling of current and new manufacturing workers in our community. We estimate a $5 billion economic impact, $1 billion in related investments and over 4,000 new jobs over the next decade.
Since our designation in October 2023 as the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub, we’ve formed relationships with several global firms interested in Akron and Northeast Ohio as a place to invest in their own polymer futures. We expect that interest to continue to build with this work and bring investment and jobs to Ohio.
It’s important to note that our polymer industry initiative is not about any one grant or award. While we are excited to celebrate this recognition by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration of our region’s leadership and innovation potential, we hope this award is the first of several wins over the next decade to build on our legacy and create solutions for the future of the industry. The Polymer Industry Cluster is a collaboration of more than 80 industry companies and stakeholders charged with driving our work on behalf of the region. This award is the result of one (major) effort at the beginning of what we see as a new era of innovation for our work. We invite you to work with us and to watch this (sustainable) space!
Steve Millard is the President and CEO of the Greater Akron Chamber. Brian Anderson is the VP, Polymer Industry Cluster and Regional Innovation Officer for the Sustainable Polymer Tech Hub at the Greater Akron Chamber. Learn more at www.greaterakronchamber.org.