Federal government and six key players partner to create a circular economy for plastics
MONTREAL, Quebec – February 25, 2020 – Five leading companies in Canada’s food, beverage and packaging sector are joining forces and created the Circular Plastics Taskforce (Groupe d’action plastiques circulaires, or GAPC) to develop a circular economy for plastics, in partnership with the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) and with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Éco Entreprises Québec will also support the project as a consultant and financial partner.
With the goal of closer alignment between market needs and recycling stakeholders (material recovery facilities (MRF) and packaging companies), Cascades, Danone Canada, Dyne-a-pak, Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, TC Transcontinental, and CPIA have teamed up with Centre de transfert technologique en écologie industrielle (CTTEI) at the Sorel-Tracy CÉGEP and Chamard Stratégies environnementales to identify and recommend solutions for optimizing the handling of plastics throughout the recycling value chain.
The group will map the recycling value chain and use pilot projects to test innovative solutions. “We are all aware of the need to recover plastics more effectively in Canada, but more important still, to recycle them within a circular economy. Our goal is to see all types of plastic recycled locally and to develop a strong recycled resin market in the province. For that to happen, we need to step up support for our MRFs and packaging companies. We’re committed to taking action and being part of the solution,” explained GAPC’s founding members.
With this initiative, GAPC members are seeking to provide concrete solutions to the challenges currently facing the recycling industry in Quebec and Canada. To that end, they will be fostering the expansion of existing markets and the creation of new dynamic local and national markets. These will be fueled by a high-performance industry that produces quality recycled materials, in order to lay the foundations for a truly circular plastics economy. This project, driven by industry leaders, is therefore fully in line with the Quebec government’s recent announcement regarding its willingness to reinforce the responsibility of producers in the management of the recycling system.
Environment and Climate Change Canada will help fund the initial project phase with a contribution of nearly $475,000 over two years. The rest of the funding of this first step will come from the contribution of the GAPC’s founding members, as well as from Éco Entreprises Québec, who will also support the project with their expertise and know-how.
GAPC also works with various provincial government agencies and has been consulted by departments within the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MEI) and the ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les Changements climatiques (MELCC) in drawing up the provincial government’s plastics strategy.
“The issue of plastic recycling is a growing concern for the public and this venture is a clear sign that we’re moving in the right direction and that the industry is committed to finding concrete solutions,” said Sonia Gagné, CEO of RECYC-QUÉBEC.
“Éco Entreprises Québec salutes the leadership of the companies that have come together for this project and their willingness to support the use of plastics stemming from curbside collection in Quebec, thereby providing a local outlet for these materials. We are proud to be able to play a role in it,” said Éco Entreprises Québec CEO Maryse Vermette.
The Quebec Business Council on the Environment (CPEQ) also supports this private-sector initiative. “This promising venture reflects the genuine desire of the companies involved to contribute to the circular economy, the development of green technologies, and the creation of profitable outlets for recycled plastics in Quebec,” said CPEQ CEO Hélène Lauzon.
Based on the initial timeline, the first phase of the project will run through October 2020.
About CPIA
Since 1943, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association has proudly served as the national voice for and leader in plastics sustainability across Canada, representing the interests of the plastics value chain. With over 2,600 companies employing 82,000 workers, Canada’s $24.3 billion plastics industry is a sophisticated, multi-faceted sector. CPIA and its members are contributing to solutions to help end plastic waste including the deployment of technology advances to convert a variety of used plastics into resources to make new plastics. CPIA welcomes the opportunity to work with governments of all levels on policy that will help improve plastic recycling and recovery in Canada. CPIA believes that society needs plastics to live more sustainably; that we need to end plastic waste; and that we need to move towards a more circular economy for plastics. That’s why in 2018 we set a new aspirational goal of 100 per cent of plastics packaging being reused, recycled, or recovered by 2040, with an aggressive interim goal of 100 per cent of plastics packaging being recyclable or recoverable by 2030. To learn more go to www.plastics.ca.
About Cascades
Founded in 1964, Cascades offers sustainable, innovative and value-added packaging, hygiene and recovery solutions. The company employs 11,000 women and men across a network of over 90 facilities in North America and Europe. Driven by its participative management, half a century of experience in recycling, and continuous research and development efforts, Cascades continues to provide innovative products that customers have come to rely on, while contributing to the well-being of people, communities and the entire planet. Cascades' shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CAS.
About Danone Canada
Danone Canada is a business unit of Danone and operates from headquarter offices in Boucherville, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. Danone Canada is the country’s largest consumer-facing Certified B Corporation®, demonstrating that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Danone Canada’s ambition is to produce healthful dairy, plant-based products and coffee creamers and beverages; create economic and social value; and nurture natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Its portfolio of brands includes Activia®, Oikos®, DanActive®, Danone®, Silk® plant-based foods and beverages, So Delicious® Dairy Free, Stok and more.
For more information about the company, please visit www.danone.ca; facebook.com/danonecanada; Twitter (@DanoneCanada) or LinkedIn (Danone Canada).
About Dyne-a-pak
Dyne-a-pak is a leader in rigid packaging used for meat, poultry, fish and fruits and vegetables. With more than 40 years of experience in the food packaging industry, our facility in Laval, Quebec, is state-of-the-art to serve the entire North American market. We are deploying a world-class management model, inspired by TOYOTA WAY (Lean), to achieve a dynamic and flexible organization, in which 100% of employees are mobilized on a daily basis to learn, solve problems, improve and innovate.
Our environmental commitment translates into constant efforts to reduce the ecological impact of our products, by the use of recycled content in all of our polystyrene foam products, and the manufacturing of packaging in compostable expanded bio-polymer. Dyne-a-pak is also committing significant resources to advancing recycling in North America, working in groups such as the Polystyrene Recycling Group (RRPS), the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) and Foam Recycling Coalition (FRC).
About Keurig Dr Pepper Canada
Keurig Dr Pepper Canada is the business name under which Keurig Canada Inc. and Canada Dry Mott’s Inc. operate. From coast to coast, Keurig Dr Pepper Canada offers a broad range of hot and cold beverages for every need, marketed under more than 60 flagship brands, including Canada Dry*, Mott's Clamato*, Van Houtte® and Timothy's®, available everywhere people shop and consume. Also available from Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, are Keurig®'s single-serve coffee makers. As a Keurig Dr Pepper company, the organization is committed to sourcing, producing and distributing its beverages responsibly through its Drink Well. Do Good. corporate responsibility platform, including efforts around circular packaging, efficient natural resource use and supply chain sustainability.
The Company’s principal Canadian offices and executive team are located in Montreal, Quebec and Mississauga, Ontario. Also located in Montreal, Quebec are the hot beverage manufacturing facilities and Keurig Canada Inc. subsidiary Van Houtte Coffee Services Inc., which offers innovative beverage services to away from home customers from branch offices in 30 Canadian cities. To learn more about our company, visit: www.keurigdrpepper.ca. For more information on our Corporate Responsibility work, please visit: https://www.keurigdrpepper.ca/en-ca/our-company/corporate-responsibility.
About TC Transcontinental
TC Transcontinental is a leader in flexible packaging in North America, and Canada’s largest printer. The Corporation is also positioned as the leading Canadian French-language educational publishing group. For over 40 years, TC Transcontinental's mission has been to create quality products and services that allow businesses to attract, reach and retain their target customers.
Respect, teamwork, performance and innovation are the strong values held by the Corporation and its employees. TC Transcontinental's commitment to its stakeholders is to pursue its business activities in a responsible manner.
Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A TCL.B), known as TC Transcontinental, has over 8,700 employees, the majority of which are based in Canada, the United States and Latin America. TC Transcontinental had revenues of more than C$3.0 billion for the fiscal year ended October 27, 2019. For more information, visit TC Transcontinental's website at www.tc.tc
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INFORMATION
Jean-Alexandre D’Etcheverry
514-843-2369
jadetcheverry@national.ca
