Cascades Gives Second Life to 1.4 Million Tonnes of Residuals

Cascades is proud to announce that by the end of its 2013-2015 Sustainable Development Plan, the company gave a second life to 76% of the residual materials generated by its plants, exceeding its target of 71%. Over this three-year period, a total of 1.4 million tonnes of residuals were recovered.

There’s More Than Just Paper in Bales of Recyled Paper
“Cascades was founded with the aspiration to re-imagine commodity product manufacturing by prioritizing the use of recycled fibre. This business model allows us to divert millions of tonnes of used paper and cardboard from landfill each year. For us to have the smallest ecological footprint possible, we also chose to focus on giving a new lease of life to our own residual materials,” explained  Mario Plourde  , the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

The bales of used paper bought by Cascades to serve as raw material can contain up to 10% of contaminants (plastic, metal, glass, etc). The company must therefore manage a large amount of diverse residual materials. Other categories of residuals are also derived from Cascades’ manufacturing process: mixed sludge and deinking sludge. These two by-products are now used for different purposes: animal bedding, liming material for land farming, fill layer in cardboard production, restoration of damaged sites and capping material for sanitary landfill sites.

The Plants’ Challenge: Finding Opportunities
Over the past years, Cascades has made considerable efforts to find new uses for certain materials. Among other initiatives, the company introduced a waste-to-energy program at Greenpac in  Niagara Falls, New York  in 2015. A large part of the plant’s residuals is sent to its neighbor, Covanta, a waste-to-energy company, which converts the residual materials into steam that Greenpac, in turn, uses to dry the paper it manufactures. Another portion of these residuals is recovered by Frontier Fibers, LLC, which extracts its metal component and sends what’s left over to waste-to-energy facilities. These partnerships allow the plant to divert from landfill 74% of the residuals it generates. This percentage will be even higher in 2016, after one full year in the circular economy. “We are proud to have found an opportunity to make use of these diverse materials, which have high calorific potential. Covanta proved to be highly adaptable throughout our relationship, and they played a big role in helping us achieve our goal,” said Léon Marineau, Vice-President, Environment.

Plants that Achieved Zero Waste to Landfill
A fact worth mentioning: two Cascades plants, Cascades Sonoco in  Birmingham, Alabama  and Norampac in  Etobicoke, Ontario  , have achieved zero landfill status thanks to a partnership with nearby cogeneration power production facilities. By staying on the lookout for innovative solutions, Cascades’ teams have enabled the company to meet, and even exceed, the results it hoped for.
http://www.cascades.com/en/media-centre/press-releases-and-news/press-release/2016/5821/residual-material-cascades-gives-second-life-to-14-million-tonnes-of-residuals

Related Posts

How the World Land Trust Carbon Balanced Paper Program Reduces Illegal Logging and Biodiversity Loss

Illegal logging has devastating consequences for natural habitats and the climate. Research by the University of Leeds, in partnership with World Land Trust, highlights the significant environmental damage caused by illegal logging, including the release of vast amounts of stored carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In Vietnam specifically - but also in the other three Carbon Balanced-supported World Land Trust projects (Guatemala, Ecuador and Mexico) - illegal logging remains an ever-present threat to both biodiversity and local communities. In Vietnam, illegal logging releases up to 130,000 metric tons of CO2 annually, harming both local ecosystems and contributing to climate change. For example, the Dong Chau-Khe Nuoc Trong forest in Vietnam is home to over 40 vulnerable animal species, including nine endangered and ten critically endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Huhtamaki takes major step towards its target of using 100% renewable electricity and a carbon neutral production by 2030

Sustainability lies at the center of Huhtamaki’s 2030 Strategy and the Company is making a leap forward towards delivering on its ambitions by closing two 10-year virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) with BayWa r.e., a global renewable energy developer. The 200 GWh agreements cover approximately 80% of Huhtamaki’s current electricity usage in Europe, where the key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions has 18 manufacturing sites in 10 countries. ”We are committed to our ambitious 2030 strategy to become the first choice in sustainable packaging solutions. This means developing a circular approach for our operations and products. We are fully committed to supporting the transition to a zero-carbon economy and have a climate strategy with clear targets and action plans to address all our emissions. Renewable electricity plays a major role in delivering on our ambitions and the agreement we have just signed with BayWa r.e. demonstrates that it is possible to achieve significant progress in a short time,” says Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Huhtamaki.

Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report ranked among top ten globally

Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report 2017 has been included in the top ten sustainability reports globally according to the latest Reporting matters publication by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In WBCSD’s Reporting matters publication, Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report is praised for its disclosure of internal sustainability management processes. The external assurance of the report’s sustainability information also received good feedback as it strengthens the credibility of Stora Enso’s disclosure. “We are proud of our transparent reporting being acknowledged,” says Noel Morrin, EVP Sustainability at Stora Enso. “It is especially encouraging to see that the four-tier reporting structure we use to present the most material opportunities and challenges is recognised as good practice.” Click read more below for additional detail.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search