Used food and beverage cartons await recycling at Sustana Fiber’s Lévis, Quebec paper mill.
May 1, 2020 – Sustana Fiber and Carton Council Canada are very pleased to announce that Sustana’s mill located in Lévis, Quebec has begun accepting food and beverage cartons for recycling. Sustana Fiber, Lévis is the first Canadian mill in 20 years to recycle cartons.
The decision to recycle cartons at the Lévis facility reflects Sustana’s strategic commitment to innovation and sustainability as well as the need for alternative sources of high-quality fibre due to demand for household paper products. Every carton recycled helps with the raw materials needed to keep producing essential items such as toilet paper and paper towel and prevent shortages.
“At Sustana, we are enthusiastic champions of responsible manufacturing, environmental stewardship, and positive community impact,” says Michele Bartolini, Senior Marketing Director at Sustana. “By recycling alternative fibers, we are proud to enhance our support for a thriving circular economy and help conserve precious resources. We are also keen to do our part, supporting the supply chain working to make the products people need right now.”
“We are excited by Sustana Fiber’s decision to recycle cartons closer to home,” says Nancy Doyon, Director of Development at Récupéraction Centre-du-Quebec in Drummondville, Qc. “The presence of a domestic recycler is a significant step in strengthening the circular economy for cartons in Canada. Working together, we can continue to develop and improve carton recycling in Eastern Canada.”
Stable and thriving end-markets for post-consumer cartons are important to the success of national recycling and recovery efforts. Increased carton recycling helps preserve natural resources, meet important diversion and recycling goals, create jobs and, in the case of COVID-19, helps to avoid shortages of the pulp needed to manufacture essential items.
“Ensuring stable end-markets is an essential element of the Carton Council Canada’s ongoing mandate as it is a vital component of a sustainable carton recycling supply chain,” says Isabelle Faucher, Managing Director, Carton Council Canada. “We are thrilled by the action Sustana Fiber, Lévis has taken and hope it provides an added incentive for those MRFs who are not yet positively sorting this commodity to start doing so.”
CCC offers resources to MRFs to support their carton sorting optimizing process.
In 2019, an estimated 33,000 tonnes of cartons were collected for recycling in Canada. As of January 2020, the national blended carton recycling-recovery rate was 58%[i]. This is up from 26 per cent in 2008. In 2019, CCC members agreed to adopt a 70% carton recycling target by 2025.
[i] Some jurisdictions report a recycling rate while others report a recovery rate. For this reason, we cannot report a uniform national recycling or recovery rate.
About Sustana
Sustana, comprised of Sustana Fiber and Rolland, committed to industry-leading product quality, continuous improvement and environmental stewardship – by innovating solutions that are better for business, better for the environment and better for society at large. Sustana is proud to provide a comprehensive, sustainable pulp and paper solution for customers throughout North America. For more information, visit www.sustanafiber.com. Contact: Michele Bartolini, Senior Marketing Director mbartolini@sustanagroup.com.
About Carton Council Canada
Carton Council of Canada (CCC) is a coalition of carton manufacturers working together to deliver long-term solutions to help increase carton recovery and recycling in Canada. Carton Council of Canada members including carton manufacturers Elopak, Evergreen Packaging, Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc, work together to demonstrate that carton packaging is the smart green choice today and in the future. For more information, visit www.recyclecartons.ca. Contact: Isabelle Faucher, Managing Director ifaucher@recyclecartons.ca.