Displaying items by tag: Cascades Fine Papers

The Cascading Effects of Sustainability

          With global climate change becoming more widely accepted, companies are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact. They understand that recycling programs, water and energy saving programs, and chemical reduction programs need to be implemented in order to better protect the health of humans and animals. Cascades is one company that, in the eyes of the CFPA, is doing its part to reduce its environmental impact and providing third party accountability to prove it.

            Cascades has been concerned with their environmental footprint since its beginning in 1964. Antonio Lemaire and his three sons, Cascades’ founding family, would re-use any old paper and waste they found. Antonio often said, “That thing is still good. We can surely make something out of it.” As the company continued to grow, they would go from making pulp with a kitchen blender to renovating old machines and abandoned mills. Even in the beginning, Cascades was finding ways to recycle.

            Fast forward to 2013. Their original recycling practices have been scaled up and are now accompanied with sustainability initiatives. Cascades still strives to reduce their environmental footprint, because they know that paper making consumes large amounts of water and energy. According to the US Energy Information Administration, the paper industry is the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gas. To combat this, Cascades Tissue Group, a division of Cascades, makes products from 100% recycled materials, such as their 100% recycled towel and tissue products. This removes this waste from landfills and prevents the harvest of new trees.  Because they know a majority of paper products can be recycled up to seven times, they understand the value of recycled fiber.  In addition to recycling, Cascades uses chlorine free production processes to make their tissue and fine paper, and bio-gas is used as an energy source to help meet their energy needs.

            Their efforts do not stop there; Cascades is planning on further increasing their sustainability practices. They developed their first sustainable development plan for 2010-2012. In order to do this, it was necessary to consult with a number of stakeholders, suppliers, employees, customers, communities, creditors, and managers. Cascades established 18 key performance indicators (KPI) which represent the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability. This allowed them to measure a number of factors, including water and biodiversity, reducing energy consumption, increasing renewable energy, reusing paper-making waste, reducing solid waste sent to landfill and more. Cascades believes there is still room for improvement in 2013, as the company is working on its next plan. They will get new goals for the future and continue to increase their sustainability.

Cascades Fine Papers Group has once again improved its 100% recycled papers offering. The Rolland Enviro100™ Satin now allows you to choose a lighter basis weight for your print projects, with the addition of the 50 lb. Text.

This new lighter basis weight is especially designed for brochures, magazines, annual report or can be used on any high-end document with colourful visuals. Rolland Enviro100Satin is the best choice for projects that require precision details. Its satin finish provides print quality attributes of a coated matte paper with the rich tactile feel and dazzling visuals.

Rolland Enviro100 Satin features a unique feel that is silky and smooth. In addition, true to its environmental nature, it is EcoLogo, Processed Chlorine Free and FSC® certified, as well as manufactured with locally sourced and renewable biogas energy. Truly the best of both worlds!

Cascades, a leader in recovery and the production of green packaging and tissue products, is pleased to announce the appointment of Hugo D'Amours to the position of Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs.

Until last fall, Mr. D'Amours was Director of Media Relations for Quebec Premier Jean Charest. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Public Administration. Over the past 15 years he has developed solid expertise in communications and public relations, and he has earned an excellent reputation. His skills will be a valuable resource and an undeniable asset to the company's management

"Hugo seemed to be the ideal person to join us as we undergo significant changes, and to continue to promote the innovative and sustainable nature of the company," said Mr. Alain Lemaire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cascades.

Mr. Lemaire also thanked his predecessor, Mr. Hubert Bolduc, for eight years of dedicated service. He wishes to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Bolduc the best of luck in his new career.

Cascades has once again garnered a coveted Pulp & Paper International (PPI) Award. This time, with its newest product innovation, an environmentally friendly security paper made with 100% post-consumer fiber: CheckSecur Platinum Enviro™. Customers can now reach their environmental objectives while being protected against the most sophisticated forms of fraud.

The technology of using post-consumer fibers to produce secure documents was almost nonexistent. As customers were seeking additional environmental attributes for their security papers, Cascades' innovation took on the challenge – and prevailed. Drawing on 45 years of recovery and de-inking expertise along with extensive R&D, Cascades manufactured a unique UV dull pulp made with 100% post-consumer fiber. Strong partnerships with our customers allowed us to test the new paper on different press technologies, a crucial step before going to market.

CheckSecurPlatinumEnviro™ maintains all the advanced security features of traditional virgin fiber papers, including a multi-tone watermark, yellow-fluorescent invisible fibers and blue-visible fibers, chemical reactive treatment, SecurLaserPlus^TM technology and MICR-OCR compatibility. Environmentally speaking, using 10,000 CheckSecurPlatinumEnviro™ checks rather than its virgin equivalent saves: 1 tree, 993 gal. of water, 326 lb. of air emissions and 125 lb. of solid waste. Impressive numbers for a premium security paper.

“As a leader in sustainable development, it was only natural for Cascades to innovate towards a more sustainable solution. CheckSecurPlatinumEnviro™ differentiates us from the competition and addresses a long-standing market need for environmentally friendly products, without compromising document security.” – Normand Champagne, General Manager, Security Papers, Cascades Fine Papers Group.

Cascades is the proud recipient of a 2012 Green Supply Chain Award for its sustainable approach to its supply chain. It will be listed along with other award winners in the December issue of the American magazine Supply & Demand Chain Executive, specialists in the supply chain sector for over 10 years.

The Green Supply Chain Award recognizes companies who make sustainability a core part of their supply chain strategy, and work to achieve measurable sustainability goals within their own operations and supply chains. It also recognizes providers of supply chain solutions and services who assist their customers in achieving measurable sustainability goals.

Cascades was recognized for its closed-loop business process with its Cascades Recovery Division, for its collaboration with sustainable supply chain management company EcoVadis, and for its annual presentation of the Sustainable Supplier Award honoring its distribution partners' role in advancing sustainability.

Closing the loop with Cascades Recovery

Through Cascades' Recovery division, the company collects a significant amount of its raw material such as paper and cardboard from its clients, sorts it and sends it to be manufactured into a new product before selling it back. This integrated vision offers several advantages: better quality control of raw materials, the production of “new” transformed products, a recycling service for clients and the strategic benefits clients reap from working with a corporate citizen. With this unique service, Cascades offers a smart way for clients to reduce their supply chain ecological footprint.

Encouraging good business practices among Suppliers

In 2012, Cascades began working with sustainable supply chain management platform company EcoVadis to survey and evaluate its suppliers' social responsibility performance using 21 parameters. The ongoing process highlights its suppliers' strengths and weaknesses, and assesses where there is room for improvement.

Awarding innovative suppliers

Since 2009, Cascades rewards the suppliers who take initiatives in sustainable development through developing and testing new technologies, products and procedures that ultimately allow Cascades to improve its environmental, social and economic performance. For more information on this award, visit:www.cascades.com/sustainable-development/suppliers.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Supply & Demand Chain Executive, the magazine behind this award, is the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies. For more information, visit: www.SDCExec.com.

Cascades Inc. (TSX: CAS), leader in the recovery and manufacturing of green packaging and tissue products, announces the consolidation of its corrugated product plants in its Norampac division in Ontario. The consolidation translates into an investment totalling in excess of $30 million in the Vaughan, St. Mary's, Etobicoke and Belleville plants, and the closure of the North York and Peterborough units, as well as the OCD plant in Mississauga.

“The purpose of this restructuring is to optimize the productivity in our corrugated product plants in Ontario and enhance customer service. These steps are in line with our regional development strategy, which includes the recent acquisition of three Bird Packaging plants,” explained Marc-André Dépin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norampac.

As part of the strategic plan set in motion by Cascades, this consolidation aims to improve the group's profitability in an increasingly competitive market. This decision is another step in a series of initiatives taken over the past years that seek to modernize the Company's assets. With this goal in mind, Cascades announced in June 2011, the construction of Greenpac Mill LLC, a lightweight containerboard mill located in Niagara Falls, NY.

Investment in the Corrugated Products Sector

With this investment of over $30 million, Norampac aims to modernize manufacturing equipment in the four Ontario plants and increase production capacity, profitability, as well as productivity.

“We are investing for the future by taking the necessary measures to strengthen our leadership in the market and demonstrate our commitment to our clients,” explained Mr. Dépin. “The Vaughan, St. Mary's, Etobicoke and Belleville plants have the ideal infrastructure in which to incorporate new equipment with cutting edge technology, ranking them among the most competitive in Canada. These investments will enable us to provide clients with a wider variety of packaging products, increase the speed of execution and improve the quality of our products and services,” added Mr. Dépin.

Closure of Three Plants

In a competitive packaging market, which is strongly influenced by the strength of the Canadian dollar and enhanced competition from US manufacturers, Norampac has no choice but to reduce its operating costs through the closure of three corrugated product plants in Ontario.

“The decision to close the OCD, North York and Peterborough plants can be explained by a decrease in demand in the Canadian and North American corrugated products industry dating back to the beginning of the recession, as well as the large number of Norampac converting plants in Ontario. These factors, combined with adverse economic conditions, have forced us to restructure our assets in order to be more competitive” explained Mr. Dépin. The three operating units are scheduled to close at the end of 2012.

The OCD, North York and Peterborough plants are specialized in converting corrugated products. In preparation for the closures, production from these plants will gradually be redirected to other Norampac converting plants in the Province, which will continue to supply the plants' clients with the same quality and services. Many of the 200 employees from the three plants will have the opportunity to transfer to other Norampac plants in Ontario.

“As was the case in Québec in 2010 and in the north-east of the United States in 2011, the consolidation of our Norampac operations in Ontario, to which we are adding significant investments to modernize our facilities, will allow us to optimize our assets in this region and improve Cascades' performance,” added Mr. Dépin.

Source
Marc-André Dépin
President and Chief Executive Officer 
Norampac, a Division of Cascades Canada ULC

Award recognizes those who are committed to recycling safely and economically.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) today presented Cascades Fine Papers Group with their annual Design for Recycling® Award.

In order to be considered for the Design for Recycling® Award, candidates must demonstrate progress towards ensuring that the products they build and create can be recycled safely and economically, using existing recycling technologies and methods; eliminating or significantly reducing materials that may impede recycling, including hazardous or toxic materials; increasing the yield of a product's recyclable materials; and the increased use of recycled materials in manufacturing.

Cascades earned the recognition by developing and implementing a 100% Recycled and Recyclable Ream Wrapper for its fine paper that eliminates plastic contaminants, reduces waste, and turns waste that would have ended up in a landfill into a recyclable commodity.

ISRI is the force behind Design for Recycling®, a voluntary program that urges manufacturers to make products that can be recycled from the start. Such design benefits not only the environment, but the economy as well as shareholders and consumers recognize the benefits of designing a product that will have several lives.

"Most companies and design engineers are rightly concerned with things like consumer needs, production costs, energy efficiency, and safety," said ISRI President Robin Wiener. "But rarely do you find companies that put emphasis on what happens to their products when they have reached the end of their useful life. It is evident that Cascades is one such company that is concerned with overall life cycle of their products and producer product responsibility."

Cascades is always thinking of ways to reduce a product's footprint. As stated by Julie Loyer, Communication and Sustainable Development Advisor at Cascades Specialty Products Group, "Having to discard the wrapper because it contaminated the paper recycling process was an issue for us. We created a multi-disciplinary team to find a solution and we created a packaging that is as environmentally friendly as the paper it wraps. We are proud of the result, and also being recognized for such by the Design for Recycling Award."

ISRI created the concept of Design for Recycling® to encourage more companies like Cascades to help protect the environment and create a sustainable means for conserving natural resources. Design for Recycling® seeks to achieve two very basic goals: first, to eliminate or reduce the use of hazardous or toxic materials that may present a grave danger to the environment or put a recycler's workforce in jeopardy, and second, to discourage the use of materials that are not recyclable or manufacturing techniques that make a product non-recyclable using current technologies. 

Past winner have included Wind Simplicity, Coca-Cola Recycling Company, The Herman Miller Company, the U.S. environmental Protection Agency, and Hewlett Packard.