Cascade's energy efficiency recognized at summit

The award was recently presented at Energy Summit at Kingsey Falls, Que. Natural Resources Canada recognized Cascades' good practices and commitment to continuously improve its energy efficiency through a variety of initiatives stemming from its integrated strategy.

"We are very honoured by this recognition," Mario Plourde, Cascades' president and CEO, said. "The expertise of our specialists and the effort deployed are yielding concrete results, a good example of which is that we now use 2.7 times less energy than the industry average to make the same products. We are fully committed to further reducing our energy consumption."

CIPEC also recognized the company in 2011, in the same category, as well as in 2016, when Cascades received the Corporate Stewardship Award.

Cascades is the only North American paper manufacturer with a dedicated group of energy efficiency specialist employees. In 2004, the group acquired an energy investment fund that has so far undertaken more than 250 projects. In 2017 alone, the projects carried out at Cascades' manufacturing plants have reduced total annual consumption by 194,431 gigajoules, which is equal to the annual consumption of 1,781 Canadian households. In 2012, Cascades acquired an integrated management system (EMS), which has been deployed through an operational excellence program. Since 2016, the process has been gradually integrated into the paper mill operations, and the company's goal is to have it applied within all of its paper mills by the end of 2018.

Cascades participates in Canada's ENERGY STAR for Industry program
Cascades is the first manufacturer to respond positively to Natural Resources Canada's call for participation in Canada's ENERGY STAR for Industry program. Launched a few months ago, the program is designed to foster a greater contribution from Canadian industry in the transition to a carbon-lean, clean-growth economy. To date, Cascades is the only Canadian firm that has signed up for the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry. It has committed to achieving a 10 per cent reduction in energy intensity at its 12 Canadian plants within five years.

"Cascades' participation in the ENERGY STAR program demonstrates our strong drive to keep doing more," Fabien Demougeot, technical services manager at Cascades CS+, said. "In recent years, we have progressively implemented energy management systems, introduced an integrated procedure into our paper mill operations, and carried out energy kaizens. Technology is evolving, along with good practices. Being part of a group like this means we can work with the best and maintain our leadership position."