With the adoption of Law 65 and the collection reform (see box), companies will have three years to adjust. Avoid over-packaging or create biodegradable and compostable containers, establish a deposit or bulk system, favor glass, cardboard or even plastic... There are many ways to be more environmentally friendly. However, the key is to think about what is best for your product and sometimes even deconstruct the myths related to your choice of material.

Ecodesign and food: eliminating false good ideas

Consumer pressure encouraged Quebec's largest ice cream producer, Laiterie Coaticook , to review its packaging. "Customers were asking for cardboard containers," recalls Paul-André Veilleux, director of finance and procurement. "We weren't really aware of the issues, and the different options weren't very well known at the time." In 2016, the company turned to the organization Éco-Entreprises Québec to see if ecodesign would apply to its packaging. The dairy was one of the first SMEs in Quebec to start thinking about understanding what was causing the problem. “It was the end of life of our plastic containers that was wrong, so we started by analyzing our ecological footprint in detail,” explains Mr. Veilleux.

In food, it's a little more complicated: the standards are strict and you have to get authorization from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure that the packaging remains safe. "And for frozen products, it's another story again," says the director. "Cardboard, which is used by some of our competitors, contains wax, plastic and other materials in superimposed layers that are expensive to separate. Laminated cardboard is therefore even less recoverable."

Favor plastic packaging

Laiterie Coaticook has come to the conclusion that plastic, which may seem counterintuitive to consumers at first glance, is the preferred choice for its products sold in grocery stores. “With seven million of these containers in circulation each year, a small change can make a big difference!” he says. “You can’t see it with the naked eye, but we’ve removed between two and three grams of plastic per pot. The margin may seem small, but that’s 15 tons less plastic each year. We couldn’t do more, because they have to hold up on the pallet and be solid in the consumer’s hands.”

By reducing the thickness of their container, with a slight drop in packaging costs along the way, the company was able to make a big impact without sacrificing its turnover, another crucial point to consider. “Ecodesign is profitable. There are returns on investment in the majority of cases, and sometimes even economies of scale. Not only has it become mandatory, but it is also a way to differentiate yourself as a brand with consumers. We still have to dispel the myths. We are there.”

Due to public preconceptions, high-density polyethylene (HDPE or #2 plastic) containers are rarely used by SMEs, the director explains. “There is 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, such as water bottles, but it is too flexible for our needs. HDPE has a higher recovery and revaluation rate.” This is the option that offers the longest lifespan for the packaging and avoids the purchase of additional plastic. In sorting centers, it offers the best resale: companies will buy it back and transform it. “Now it is important to find buyers to close the loop. Like Soleno!” he announces.

Circular economy and revaluation

Soleno , which produces plastic rainwater drainage pipes, has been buying bales of plastic from sorting centres for almost ten years. The company is a pioneer in Quebec in the reuse of HDPE. It has plants that crush, filter, re-granulate and transform shampoo, laundry detergent and cream bottles. The recovered resin is integrated into the pipe manufacturing process. “We give a second life to household and industrial plastics that take 350 to 500 years to decompose,” Guillaume Villemure, Director of Development and Procurement, proudly confirms. “And it’s a long one! A pipe lasts at least a hundred years. And more, if you recycle it again. It’s an almost inexhaustible resource.”

With the recovery of more than 100 million plastic containers per year, the Soleno Recyclage division has become one of the largest HDPE recyclers and conditioners in Eastern Canada. The company has just renewed its agreement with TriCentris , the largest sorting organization in Quebec that serves 234 municipalities. That's 300 million more plastic containers that will be able to be recycled.

New responsibilities of companies

For nearly fifteen years, companies have been paying a contribution to municipalities to manage the waste generated by the consumption of their products. Law 65 reforms selective collection on the basis of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Companies will now have to take charge of recovering their residual materials, sorting, packaging and recycling them, in partnership with cities, sorting centers and other recyclers. In other words, the government is making companies accountable for the entire life cycle of their products. A three-year adjustment period is planned until 2024. Incentive bonuses and penalties are on the agenda.

The Bac-à-Bac series, an initiative of Éco-Entreprises Québec, hosted by Rose Aimée Automne Morin, takes a look at transformed selective collection.