Innovating Towards a Circular Future: Claude-Anne Duval at Epsilyte

For the past three years, Claude-Anne has served as an Innovation and Sustainability Engineer at Epsilyte, leading projects that strengthen circularity, increase post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, and refine product formulations across its three manufacturing sites.  Prior to joining Epsilyte through the 2021 StyroChem acquisition, she spent five years as a Process Engineer at StyroChem Canada, overseeing quality control and laboratory operations.

Claude-Anne earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Ottawa in 2018 and obtained her P.Eng license the following year.  She credits several mentors for shaping her approach to problem-solving and leadership, especially one early lesson from a president who told her, “Don’t talk price, talk value.”  It’s a mindset she still carries today.

At Epsilyte, she works with materials that support essential industries including building insulation, construction, cold-chain packaging, and foodservice.  As Claude-Anne explains: “EPS is 98% air and 100% recyclable.  It’s lightweight, versatile, and essential.”  She is particularly proud of the company’s advancements in PCR content products, which contain a minimum of 50% certified recycled content, as well as Epsilyte’s leadership in biodegradable EPS technologies.

Claude-Anne’s path into plastics was unplanned: She cold-called companies after graduating, landed a role at StyroChem, and discovered a field that constantly challenges her.  “It’s a fast-moving, highly technical industry,” she says.  “I love that my work has a direct impact on real-world applications.” It has also influenced how she views everyday life.  Claude-Anne finds herself noticing certain materials in products, analyzing how things are made, and thinking differently about waste.

Claude-Anne sees meaningful challenges ahead for the plastics industry, especially around understanding microplastics and limited recycling infrastructure.  For her, progress requires better education, improved systems, and collective action. One of her favorite reminders comes from a reusable National Plastics Conference bag that read: “We love plastic.  We hate plastic waste.”

Claude-Anne discovered FLiP while registering for the National Plastics Conference and quickly got involved—joining a meeting, taking part in the on-site Orlando clean-up, and followed up with engagement in   several 2026 opportunities.  “I’m excited to stay involved with FLiP and contribute wherever I can,” she says.

When asked to name her “can’t-live-without” plastic product, Claude-Anne did not hesitate: “Contact lenses,” she shared. “After 20 years of wearing them, I couldn’t see myself without them,” she joked.

Outside of work, Claude-Anne is an avid movie fan.  She and her husband are also renovating an old farmhouse they purchased in 2018, tackling everything from carpentry to plumbing.  She loves to travel as well, with Thailand and Ireland among her favorite destinations and stepping inside the pyramids of Gizeh a standout memory from 2025.