Exceptional Leaders to Follow in 2024
A Leader’s Insights: An Interview with Jacomien van Tonder, the Director of Metal Tech Alley
In this interview, we delve into the remarkable story of how Jacomien van Tonder, the Director of Metal Tech Alley, embarked on her path to success in the world of heavy industry and circular economy. Join us as Jacomien shares her experiences, notable accomplishments, leadership style, and the values that have guided her along the way. Discover what sets Metal Tech Alley apart from other organizations, how Jacomien navigated the challenges of the rapidly evolving technological landscape, and her aspirations for the future. Get ready to be inspired by Jacomien’s journey as a leader and her relentless pursuit of excellence in the field of heavy industry and sustainability.
Leadership Qualities Contributing to Success
Jacomien van Tonder attributes her success as a leader to ambition, vision, and passion. She believes it is crucial for a leader to have the ambition to achieve goals that make significant progress. Having a clear vision of what she wants to achieve and setting goals to reach that vision is fundamental to her approach. Passion drives her ambition, making it possible to pursue the necessary actions with fortitude. Jacomien also emphasizes the importance of integrity in leadership. She leads her team with integrity, ensuring transparency and authenticity in all her actions.
Key Trends and Challenges in the Industry
Jacomien identifies two key challenges the industry will face in the coming years. The first challenge is the rapid pace of technological change in the battery sector, with continuous demands for lighter and longer-lasting batteries creating a high-risk environment. The second challenge lies in the need for governments to impose standards on production to make circularity feasible. Without standards for design and production, the progress of circular economy implementation remains uncertain.
Adapting and Thriving in a Changing Landscape
To ensure Metal Tech Alley thrives amidst economic and technological changes, Jacomien takes proactive steps. She participates in industry conferences and advocates for necessary policy changes. She is also actively involved in circular economy developments within the industry, British Columbia, and Canada. By staying ahead on these topics, Jacomien positions her organization to support sector growth and help companies achieve their goals.
Overcoming Major Obstacles
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic posed significant obstacles for Jacomien, hitting hard during a critical growth period for Metal Tech Alley. Leveraging technology solutions and perseverance, she managed to turn these challenges into opportunities. For instance, the widespread adoption of virtual meetings allowed the organization to run a global conference virtually, resulting in unexpected global attendance.
Fostering a Culture of Innovation
Jacomien recognizes the importance of an innovative approach to promoting industry, especially given the poor reputation of heavy industry in North America. To overcome this barrier, she works with stakeholders to present the industry in a positive light, highlighting its essential role in achieving climate goals and securing supply chains for critical minerals. This innovative approach helps reshape perceptions and promotes the industry’s vital contributions to a clean tech future.
Significant Resources and Learning Experiences
In 2023, Jacomien attended the Circular Economy and Sustainable Strategies course at Cambridge University. This course provided her with the skills to support other businesses in adopting circular business models. With this training, she became a better leader, capable of implementing circular economy principles effectively within her organization. This course also provides her with the ability to assist other organizations and businesses in exploring best circular economy practices.
Building and Nurturing a Strong Team
Jacomien believes that a strong team is built on a shared commitment to a vision and a dedication to hard work. By sharing her passion for the circular economy and setting a strong example through her own hard work, she inspires her team members. This instills confidence in them, knowing they are on the right path to success.
Incorporating Social and Environmental Responsibility
Environmental responsibility is at the heart of Metal Tech Alley’s operations, with circular economy principles driving their approach to economic and business growth. Jacomien and her team work tirelessly to educate others about the benefits of a circular economy, advocating for a future that is both economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
Importance of Digital Transformation
Jacomien sees digital transformation as a crucial factor for businesses in 2024. It offers the potential to facilitate transparent product information for consumers and material traceability for producers, which are essential for implementing circular economy principles on a large scale. Digital transformation enables consumers to make informed choices and producers to confirm material origins, thereby supporting the circular economy.
Essential Skills for Business Success
Jacomien highlights work ethic as the most critical quality for success. She believes that hard work is essential to achieving goals, particularly for leaders who need to inspire their teams. Confidence is another key quality; hesitancy and doubt can undermine success before it even begins. Jacomien stresses the importance of confidently committing to a path and working diligently to reach the destination.
Following Jacomien’s Leadership Journey
Jacomien believes people should follow her leadership journey in 2024 and beyond because Metal Tech Alley is poised for significant progress. With a clear plan and an understanding of what it takes to achieve their vision, the organization is set to make a substantial impact in the North American market for battery recycling.
Future Influence on the Business Landscape
Jacomien envisions herself continuing to advocate for the circular economy in both government and industry. She emphasizes the need for business-friendly government policies that support companies in adopting circular business models. Jacomien is committed to being part of the movement that provides direct support to businesses in implementing these new practices.
Significant Achievements and Milestones
Throughout her career, Jacomien has had the honor of speaking at various conferences and government consultations. Highlights include presenting at the World Circular Economy Forum in 2021, where Metal Tech Alley was featured as the only example of a rural circular economy in North America. She also presented for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation at the World Circular Economy Forum in 2021 and hosted the first Industrial Circular Economy (ICE2021) conference in June 2021. In 2023, Jacomien presented at the Canadian Circular Economy Summit in Toronto, marking another significant milestone in her career.
In conclusion, Jacomien van Tonder’s leadership journey with Metal Tech Alley exemplifies how ambition, vision, and passion can drive success in the challenging and evolving field of heavy industry and circular economy. Through her commitment to innovation, integrity, and environmental responsibility, she has positioned her organization at the forefront of technological and economic change. Jacomien’s proactive approach to overcoming obstacles, fostering a strong team, and advocating for sustainable business practices continues to inspire and influence the industry. As she leads Metal Tech Alley into an exciting future, her dedication to the circular economy and digital transformation underscores her role as a trailblazer in promoting a sustainable and prosperous business landscape.
Pete Stamper in Ottawa
Pete Stamper of KC Recycling at The House of Commons, Standing Committee on International Trade as part of a panel of witnesses in view of its study “Canadian businesses in supply chains and global markets” on Tuesday, May 7, 2024
BATTERY HUB FEASIBLE FOR BC’S SOUTHERN INTERIOR
Battery Hub Feasible For BC’S Southern Interior, Study Finds
Canada’s EV Mandate Drives Demand for Battery Recycling in Industry-Friendly Region
The federal government’s plan to phase out gas and diesel passenger vehicles by 2035 requires the Canadian economy to shift, with battery recycling at the forefront in the Lower Columbia region of BC’s Southern Interior.
Economic development agency Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation (LCIC) is leading the charge by investigating ways to further augment the region’s battery hub operations and diversify its economy.
“We have clean power, and we have lots of water available, and we’re on our way to establishing a battery hub,” says Jacomien van Tonder, director of Metal Tech Alley, a subsidiary of the LCIC and global leader in the industrial circular economy. “We’re telling the world: we’re open for business, and we believe the circular economy movement can make environmental protection profitable.”
Rich in natural resources and home to Teck Trail Operations and established battery recycling facilities and processing plants KC Recycling and Cirba Solutions, the region is no stranger to heavy industry. LCIC’s newly released Metal Tech Alley Battery Hub Feasibility Study examines the area’s existing entities and recommends ways to further develop an industrial cluster primed for battery recycling.
The study focuses on three recommendations: exploring niche battery manufacturing, particularly where the handling of heavy metals and plastics can be easily combined; establishing a research laboratory to leverage regional metallurgical strengths and cater to emerging national recycling priorities; and determining the feasibility of circular economy principles within the existing battery manufacturing process.
The report, issued on the heels of Teck Trail evaluating the potential development of a large-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility, is timely. First-generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries are expected to near the end of their life cycle by the mid-to-late 2020s, approximately 10 years after the first wave of mass-produced EVs hit the market. Demand for battery recycling facilities will only increase in the future, according to van Tonder.
“We want to expand on the battery recycling we already have going on and bring new developments,” she says, adding that the feasibility study has validated their plans to grow regional capacity. “If you look at the electric vehicle targets from the BC and federal governments, a lot of batteries will need to be recycled in the next five to 10 years. Every EV has both lead and lithium-ion batteries. We have capacity for both types, so we’re trying to prepare for that influx now.”
Under Canada’s new Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, auto manufacturers and importers are mandated to meet annual zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales targets, starting with a requirement that 20% of new light-duty vehicles be ZEVs in the 2026 model year. These targets rise annually until they reach 100% in 2035. A recent report by Statistics Canada highlights the trickle-down impacts these standards are having on consumers, revealing that ZEVs accounted for 12.1% of all new vehicles registered in 2023’s third quarter, marking a notable increase from 8.7% in the same period of 2022.
“We see this as a critical need and an economic development opportunity,” says van Tonder. “That’s the motivation behind the feasibility study: how do we diversify the economy of this region while also planning for the future?”
The report, funded by the provincial government, will serve as a foundation for the economic development agency to develop a business plan to attract battery recycling companies to the Lower Columbia. Although it also highlights challenges such as competing against denser population centres, the need to strengthen supply chains, and socio-economic factors such as the universal housing crisis and regulatory complexities, LCIC sees this as constructive feedback to help them develop and grow a robust battery hub.
“I’m very excited about what lies ahead, because I think there are many great opportunities for this region,” van Tonder adds. “Of course, it’s going to be really hard work to get it all in place, but we are up for the challenge because we know it’ll positively benefit our economy and make a national and even global impact.”
Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation is an economic development agency in the Lower Columbia region of BC that drives collaborative efforts and leverages analytical research to fuel sustainable growth across industries.
Metal Tech Alley is a subsidiary of the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation, and a leader in the global industrial circular economy movement.
For more information on the Metal Tech Alley Battery Hub Feasibility Study, facilitated by Midgard Consulting Inc., please contact info@metaltechalley.com.
Local Metal Reinforces West Kootenay Industrial Circular Economy
Recycling, Demolition, and Clean-Up Company Launches to Serve Residents and Businesses
West Kootenay residents and business owners no longer have to commute to recycle valuable scrap metal
since LOCAL Metal opened its doors in Genelle, BC this spring.
After SECURE Energy — which is headquartered in Calgary, AB — centralized their Kootenay metal recycling
facilities in January 2023, an opportunity arose. The new LOCAL Metal operation, expected to employ up to
five staff, is centrally located to serve the West Kootenay and greater area as a full-service registered scrap
metal recycling yard.
“Processing metal recycling here and shipping materials directly to regional mills is a win-win for everybody,
emissions-wise and cost-wise,” says Local Industrial Partners Vice President of Operations Garett White.
“We’re motivated to make sure that the value stays within our region.”
There is plenty of residential and commercial recycling to manage in both the East and West Kootenay,
according to White, who estimates the rural area, rich in the industrial, technology, and metallurgy sectors,
generates thousands of metric tons of recyclable metal annually.
“Without a local option, we started to see appliances illegally dumped on the side of forestry service roads;
people were forced to use landfills and tradespeople were hauling valuable loads to the nearest facilities in
Spokane, Cranbrook, or Kelowna to recycle their high-value commodities,” says White. “We saw a need for a
metal recycling facility to remain in our area, especially since BC strives to be so environmentally friendly; it
just made sense to keep the service here for the local people.”
Scrap metal recycling is the process of recovering and processing scrap metal from end-of-life items to reuse
in new goods. Metals are collected, shredded, processed, and sent directly back to mills to create a product to
spec, emitting far less carbon and using resources more efficiently than manufacturing new material from raw
ore.
“It’s not only good business but also more environmentally friendly than going out and mining ore. We are
essentially mining urban areas for materials that we already have,” adds White. “Our focus now is on educating
our communities on what can be recycled to help clean up our neighbourhoods and put money back into
residents’ pockets.”
The collection site accepts all metals except sealed containers like propane tanks, or wet (oil or fuel filled)
units, as it poses a safety risk. Residents and business owners can bring in their scrap metal and receive a
payout or take advantage of
LOCAL Metal’s roll-off bin truck for one-time pick-ups or long-term operational bin
service. The company also provides mobile demolition and clean-up services for industrial boneyards and
agricultural, farm, or estate properties, using heavy-duty equipment including a shear, baler, and excavator
equipped with a magnet to efficiently remove all metal from a site.
LOCAL Metal was founded by Local Industrial Partners Ltd., a group of engineers and environmental
technologists with over 50 years of combined industry experience. It’s the latest business exemplifying the region’s dedication to an industrial circular economy, according to Metal Tech Alley, a global leader in shifting
to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover energy and materials to maximize sustainable life cycles.
“This region has a unique ecosystem for Industrial Circular Economy and we are fortunate to have LOCAL
Metal in the area to assist us with closing the loop,” says Metal Tech Alley Director Jacomien van Tonder.
Located at 1055 Courtesy Road, LOCAL Metal is open from 8 am - 4 pm, Monday to Friday.
About the partners:
LOCAL Metal is a Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable (MARR) metal recycling site that also offers
demolition, environmental earthwork, site spill cleanup, remediation and reclamation, and project management
and logistical coordination services. For more information, visit http://local-industrial.com/
Metal Tech Alley is an industrial and tech think tank leading the circular economy movement by making
environmental protection profitable.
MEDIA CONTACT
Garett White
Vice President, Local Industrial Partners Ltd.
1055 Courtesy Road Genelle, BC V0G 1G0
250-608-5888
gwhite@local-industrial.com
Wake up Canada! It’s Time to Face the Waste
Wake up Canada! It’s Time to Face the Waste
Written by Dayanne Raffoul, Program Coordinator, Mind Your Plastic
Every time you drink from a plastic bottle, rip open a food package and sip from a straw, do you wonder where they go afterwards?
The youth are the future of Canada, therefore it’s never been more important to ensure they are well educated on the issue of plastic pollution. Mind Your Plastic launched their first ever Circular Economy Ambassador Program (CEAP) in 2021, which is a voluntary program led by teachers that aims to teach youth about the widespread, harmful impacts of plastic pollution and what they can do about it.
The program has had over 2000 students participate in conducting cleanups within their communities taking on the challenge of identifying, quantifying, and sorting waste with a goal of diverting their findings away from landfills. Mind Your Plastic provided the teachers with resources that identified their municipal-specific waste management strategies as well as partners that would process hard-to-recycle plastics to demonstrate the importance of circularity in our economy. In addition to their data collection tasks, students were asked to speculate how the waste got there in the first place by identifying leakage points within their cleanup areas. The data collected by participants is constantly added to Mind Your Plastic’s database that consolidates all of the data from the cleanups across Canada to tell a story of what is happening from coast to coast. The story this data told was significant – we have a plastic problem. Now, this may not come as a surprise for a general concept, but over 50% of the items collected were composed partially or entirely of plastic material. Aside from learning about the abundance of plastic pollution in our environment, one of the biggest goals of this program was to provide students with the opportunity to get thinking about how the waste is making its way into the environment and encouraging them to discuss the waste source. These identified sources ranged from industries to individuals and poor waste management strategies (including those in areas that are heavily saturated with corporations that rely on single-use plastic and packaging). Upon returning to the classroom, the students within the CEAP learned the importance of using and developing sustainable alternatives to reduce waste by reusing and repurposing materials. Students were given the opportunity to divert plastics that typically wouldn’t be recycled, such as mixed plastics or plastics that had degraded past the point of value, by sending them to local entrepreneurs that process these plastics into new products! Ultimately, participants came out of this program with a well-rounded knowledge of why plastic pollution is a significant issue, what causes it, and solutions for future prevention.
It is estimated that about 80% of the plastic debris found within our oceans comes from land-based activities. If this continues, scientific studies show that by 2050 we will have more plastic than fish in the ocean. Furthermore, although plastic may seem harmless within our hands it is a well-known pollutant, with notorious negative impacts such as entanglement of marine life, habitat destruction, ingestion and bioaccumulation of contaminants, which threatens animals and poses a health risk to humans as contaminants reach our plates. Since I believe most of us would not appreciate having some extra chewable sushi in the near future, the plastic pollution crisis needs to end now.
What can we do to prevent these issues from happening? First and foremost, promote a circular economy within your community! Within a circular economy, everything is reused, recycled and rebuilt to be reinserted into the economy instead of trashing what we’ve used and creating new products entirely. A circular economy prevents the production of waste, creates thousands of jobs, and is estimated to provide billions of dollars in revenue for countries like Canada. It is a win-win situation! That is a big-picture task and it won’t happen overnight, but fret not! There are ways that you can make a difference immediately, while advocating for a transition to a circular economy. One of the most important is to refuse the unnecessary, but you can also consider using reusable containers, informing yourself and others about the different recycling programs within your municipality and recycling everything you can, advocating for material/design change to prevent littering, etc. Your small action can motivate others, creating a behavioural change domino effect, eventually reaching governmental officials who are able to concretize a circular economy within various communities. As Howard Zinn would say, “Small acts, multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Let’s do it together!
To learn more visit: https://mindyourplastic.ca/
Battery Hub Feasibility Study
Study underway on Lower Columbia battery hub
Written by Greg Nesteroff of My Kootenay Now
Efforts continue to turn the West Kootenay into a hub for battery manufacturing and recycling.
Jacomien van Tonder, the director of the Metal Tech Alley marketing initiative for the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation, says a feasibility study began in January thanks to provincial funding. It will look at positioning the area as a battery hub for western Canada.
Two battery recycling facilities already exist in Columbia Gardens and van Tonder said they would like to see similar and complementary businesses established.
“We are looking at the opportunities and if there is scope to do more battery manufacturing,” she said. “We do have research and development of batteries here, and then some battery refurbishment. How can we support the existing battery recycling facilities to expand?”
Van Tonder said recycling batteries from electric vehicles results in what is dubbed a “black mass.”
“If we can get someone to process that black mass, all the valuable materials can go back into the process. It all comes back to a circular economy for batteries. That’s what we want to set up this area for.”
Van Tonder will be in Toronto in June and then continue on to Ottawa at the invitation of local MP Richard Cannings, who will try to arrange for meetings with federal ministers to make the case for the battery hub.
“If I can go there and plant a seed for them to start looking at this and tell them what our plans are, why not? We might get everything we want,” van Tonder said.
“Even though we are still in the feasibility stage, I think it can be done. What I want from the study is how to do it.”
The study is expected to be completed by the end of the year, but van Tonder said it has been going well and the final report might be available sooner.
She seized on the idea after the Battery Metals Association of Canada identified the need for battery hubs in each of western Canada and eastern Canada.
She said the Lower Columbia region has an advantage because of its existing facilities.
“We are an industry-friendly region and that definitely counts in our favor. And the fact we have components of a battery hub already. It makes sense to put other components closer to what’s already here. Our proximity to the US border is extremely important as well.”
She said she expects the idea will be larger than just the Lower Columbia and could span and benefit the entire West Kootenay.
Van Tonder doesn’t think the project will create undue competition for the two existing companies.
“I think there’s enough in the economy of batteries going on to have similar business to what we’re doing already or new businesses in the line of batteries. I think both will work.”
Top Ten Thought Leaders Of 2022
Metal Tech Alley makes Top Ten Thought Leaders of the Year list
Jacomien van Tonder: Director for Metal Tech Alley
Thought Leadership: What is a circular economy? It’s a different way of doing business where waste is considered a resource instead of a cost. It’s about using valuable resources wisely and finding innovative ways to better the environment and the economy. van Tonder and the team from Metal Tech Alley in Trail are now world leaders in this new way of doing business.
Memorable quote: “It was a very proud moment for me to be able to tell the world about the Lower Columbia region as an industry-friendly area with high environmental standards”
You can the full article and get to know each thought leader on the Kootenay Business website.
Read Jacomien van Tonder’s full story: Global Green Business Award goes to Metal Tech Alley in Trail, B.C.
Innovation meets reuse in West Kootenay’s Metal Tech Alley
SMRT1 Technologies and the Selkirk Technology Access Centre (STAC) have teamed up to keep plastic waste out of our land fill and is another innovative example of local circular economy.
A Canadian smart vending technology company that launched out of Trail, B.C. is diverting plastic from the landfill and funnelling it into the Lower Columbia’s robust circular economy.
SMRT1 Technologies Ltd. has salvaged an abundance of plastic cutoff, demonstrating its position in Metal Tech Alley, a cluster of industrial and tech companies leading in sustainable economic development strategies.
Brad Pommen, aka “Mr. Technology,” is the founder and president of SMRT1, a hardware and software interaction and engagement technology startup with a touch vending machine product called the SMRT1 POD. Sporting a studded leather SMRT1 branded jacket, Pommen recently delivered approximately 800 lbs of UHMA (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), an extremely tough and thick water-soluble plastic, to the Selkirk Technology Access Centre (STAC) for reuse.
The plastic, often used in the food industry, is now being repurposed by other local businesses working with the STAC, including Rossland’s gluten-free artisan bakery Alkeme, and Mountain Munchies, the Nelson-based company producing Enercheez, a dried crunchy cheese snack.
In exchange, the STAC is offering Pommen waterjet cutting time and scrap aluminum to reuse for parts. The trade feels like a homecoming for Pommen, who prototyped his smart vending solution there almost six years ago.
“We normally pay $100–150 an hour minimum for access to a waterjet cutter; it has a very specific use but it’s not a tool that my company can afford,” explains Pommen. “Having somewhere local that we can access is incredibly beneficial, especially as our production ramps up.”
Catering companies use the SMRT1 POD to sell food in a more convenient way, as do retailers in high foot-traffic areas like airports and universities. However, the company primarily serves community-based health providers, who recently committed to purchasing 100 SMRT1 PODs to provide instant HIV tests, COVID-19 tests, sexual health products, and harm-reduction materials like naloxone kits to vulnerable populations in highly accessible locations.
“We have 150 units that we’re set to deliver in the next 12 months, a volume and time frame that makes production expensive,” says Pommen. “However, because the plastic we no longer have use for is so valuable — it costs about $1,000 per sheet — STAC will easily be able to repurpose the material. In exchange, we’ll tap into machine time and materials, inadvertently funding SMRT1’s scale up.”
The STAC is one of 60 NSERC-funded Technology Access Centres across Canada. Working in conjunction with local industry, it helps businesses apply new technologies to workflows, prototype new designs, reverse engineer critical parts, and find advanced technology solutions and enhanced manufacturing processes. The STAC, run by Selkirk College, is also a teaching facility for Digital Fabrication & Design students, who work in the hands-on environment with guidance from Faculty Assistant Shawn Curran.
“We instruct students on critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity, asking them to consider reusing something instead of buying new material,” says Curran. “This curriculum prepares them to enter the workforce with the ability and mindset to lead industry.”
Metal Tech Alley Director Jacomien van Tonder says that the circular economy is a relatively new concept for most folks, and the goal is to create awareness from industry right down to small businesses.
“We need to start living within the boundaries of the ‘doughnut economy,’ and really try to understand what the earth is giving us and what we’re giving back,” she adds. “At the end of the day, it’s about keeping stuff out of our overflowing landfills.”
Metal Tech Alley is on a mission to gather stories from businesses rejecting the traditional linear economic model of produce, consume, discard in favour of the circular economy model, where companies shift to reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering energy and materials to maximize their sustainable life cycle.
“Because we have such a strong industrial circular economy in this region, we feel more local small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from adopting this mindset,” van Tonder explains. “We’re here to support them and offer our expertise.”
Are you contributing to the circular economy or eager to start? Contact Metal Tech Alley: info@metaltechalley.com.