Cascades Beats Waste Reduction Target

by | May 22, 2014

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Cascades has exceeded its 2015 waste reduction target, recovering 72.8 percent of waste generated.

The packaging and tissue products company had set a goal to recover 71 percent of waste generated by 2015. It met this goal in 2013 by generating less waste overall, reusing de-inking sludge at the Tissue Group plant in Memphis plant, and recovering pulping waste at Norampac in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

The waste goal is part of the company’s 2013-2015 Sustainable Development Plan. Other results thus far include:

Energy

  • 2015 target: Reduce the amount of energy purchased per metric ton of saleable product to 10.6 gigajoules
  • 2013 results: 10.74
  • The company says it improved its energy performance by 2 percent, saving 171,105 gigajoules in 2013.

Water

  • 2015 target: Reduce the amount of water used per metric ton of saleable product to 10.6 cubic meters
  • 2013 results: 12.5
  • The company says its effluent flow increased slightly in 2013 due to the inclusion of the Oregon Tissue Group reports in its calculations. Previously, this unit was not included in the calculations, since Cascades was renting a machine in an industrial complex belonging to a third party. It acquired a second paper machine in 2013, which led it to consolidate the environmental performance reports.

Sustainable Procurement

  • 2015 target: Make 40 percent of purchases from suppliers evaluated and found to be responsible
  • 2013 results: 35 percent
  • In 2013, the company continued to assess suppliers’ business practices, in partnership with independent firm EcoVadis. It evaluated 36 businesses in the goods and services and chemicals categories: 34 of them obtained results that meet Cascades’ expectations, while two suppliers will be re-assessed within two years. As with past supplier evaluations based on the same standards, each business now has access to its file, which indicates opportunities for improvement in areas such as the environment, fair business practices, labor practices and the supply chain.

Cascades won four stars for its antibacterial paper towels in Environmental Leader’s 2013 Technology Review.

 

 

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