Cascades
inc.
Background
Cascades has been a North American leader in the pulp and paper
industry since 1964. Cascades employs some 15 600 men and women
who work in 140 modern and flexible production units located
in North America, Europe and Asia. Cascades' management philosophy,
its more than 40 years of experience in recycling and its continued
efforts in research and development are strengths which enable
the company to create new products for its customers and offer
superior performance to its shareholders.
Main Activities
Cascades produces, transforms and markets packaging products,
tissue papers and fine papers, composed mainly of recycled fibres.
Cascades is made up of five different groups:
Boxboard
Group
Specialty Products
Group
Norampac
Tissue Group
Fine Papers Group
These groups offer products as diverse as folding carton, bathroom
tissue, plastic products, printing papers and packaging products.
Cascades also holds shares in Boralex, a corporation which produces
hydroelectric and natural gas-fired power, as well as wind and
wood-residue energy.
Environmental expertise
Cascades’ management philosophy based on respect confirms
the company’s long-standing commitment to environmental
protection. With its well-founded environ-mental mission, Cascades’
objective is to better protect the environment and forests by
increasing the quantity of recycled materials used in manufacturing
its products, by continuing to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions,
by reclaiming the waste it gen-erates and by maximizing its
energy efficiency. To do so, Cascades has implemented management
strategies based on sustainable development principles and innovative
environmental actions.
Fibre
Annually, Cascades uses over 2.5 million short tons of recycled
fibre, making it the largest consumer of recycled fibre in Canada,
and the tenth largest in the world. These recycled materials
represent almost two-thirds of the total fibre used by Cascades
and thus avoids the destruction of 30 million trees each year.
Water
Water is an essential resource in the pulp and paper industry.
Cascades uses an average of 18 cubic metres of water per tonne
of manufactured products, as compared to the Canadian indus-try’s
average of 65 cubic metres. At Cascades, each drop of water
is used up to 40 times before being treated and restored to
its source.
Energy
By investing in Boralex, Cascades supports “green”
energy production. Cascades also promotes the development of
new energy sources. For example, a Fine Papers Group plant has
recently installed a power supply system fuelled by the biogas
generated from the decomposition of the residual material in
a nearby landfill. And in 2004, Cascades agreed to invest 2
million dollars per year over a five-year period in a fund dedicated
to research in energy conservation in Cascades plants.
Waste
The increased upstream use of recycled materials and the reduction
of downstream residual materials are priorities for Cascades.
This is why the company aims to prevent the landfilling of any
residual material resulting from its operations. In 2004, almost
two-thirds of the residual material generated by the Cascades
plants in the recycled paper and cardboard manufacturing process
was reclaimed.
Awards and distinctions
Recipient of two Phénix de l’environnement
(in 2001 and 2003)
Cascades’ is the only fine papers plant in North America
to be endorsed by the Chlorine Free Products Association (CFPA),
and the only plant in Canada to be certified EcoLogo by Environment
Canada.
Cascades is included in the Greenpeace Shopper’s Guide
as a manufacturer of “green” products and Cascades
was also one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2003 and
2004.
The
information conveyed is of a promotional and informative nature
and has been adapted into layman’s terms. In no case should
its content be considered complete, exhaustive or free of error
with respect to the technical data it contains.
