Mission Statement

The Chelsea Center’s mission is to help create an infrastructure for a sustainable materials economy in Massachusetts, where businesses will thrive that rely on locally discarded goods for their raw materials. The Chelsea Center is committed to stimulating economic development by helping to create and retain recycling industry and manufacturing jobs for the Commonwealth, and by promoting sustainable communities. This helps to minimize pressure on the environment by reducing waste, pollution, dependence on virgin materials, and dependence on disposal facilities.

• Working with manufacturers and other stakeholders in the supply chain to help them overcome technical, regulatory and business barriers to increasing their use of recyclable materials;
• Working with municipalities and communities to help them recognize the value of their waste materials to develop sustainable recycling-based enterprises and opportunities;
• Working with economic developers, planners, and business service organizations to educate them on the value and importance of working with the recycling industry;
• Working with researchers to identify new products and processes that can help increase the use of recovered feedstocks by manufacturers; and
• Working with entrepreneurs and manufacturers to assist them in developing and commercializing their recycled content products, and in promoting the Commonwealth’s recycled product manufacturing industry cluster.

The Chelsea Center provided grants, sponsored research and demonstration projects, identified new product opportunities, coordinates mission-relevant projects, conducted studies, partnered with other organizations, convened stakeholder meetings, held workshops, and provided direct assistance to manufacturers and communities to meet its goals.

The Chelsea Center was formed under the state’s Strategic Technology Partnership (STEP) Program, and is part of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Core funding has come from the University, as well as the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, through the Clean Environment Fund, which was comprised of unredeemed bottle deposits. Additionally, the Chelsea Center pursued grants, proposals, partnerships, contracts, fees for service and other sources of funding for its activities.

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