Environmental
Performance

Since the implementation of its environmental management system and programs in 2002–2003, IPL has reaped tangible benefits from the ongoing environmental protection efforts at its St. Damien and St. Lazare plants.

Natural Resource Conservation
In 2010 IPL’s St. Damien plant reduced its electricity consumption by 0.6% and its water consumption by 13.5%. During the same period, there was a 4.3% increase in the use of molded plastics.

The St. Lazare plant decreased its water consumption by 13.4%.

Industrial Waste Reduction
Over the past four years, the St. Damien plant has succeeded in reducing the volume of waste sent to the Bellechasse RCM (regional county municipality) landfill by over 55%. IPL achieved these results thanks to the cooperation of a number of recycling companies, the introduction of new corporate policies, and efforts to increase awareness among employees about the importance of recycling.

Edmundston Plant Performance
The Edmundston plant implemented its management system in 2009 and was certified in April 2010. The environmental management programs and recycling and recovery systems in use there have yielded real benefits.

Waste Reduction
The plant has reduced the volume of waste sent to the landfill site by over 60%—mainly by recycling purging scrap from injection molding machines. Last year a new piece of equipment was added to the granulation system so the plant can directly granulate purged plastic material and recycle it, unlike in years past when such material was disposed of along with the domestic waste or collected by an outside firm.

Compliance with Regulatory Limits on Oils and Fats Returned to the Municipal Network
A total of two water/oil separators were added to the process to comply with the municipal network limit.

Electricity Consumption Reduction
Over the past year, the IPL Edmundston plant reduced is electricity consumption by switching to a more efficient warehouse lighting system that operates based on motion-detection sensors. In addition, we were able to reduce our electricity consumption even further by changing the cooling water system of the process to a “free cooling” system in which cold ambient air is used in the fall, winter, and spring to cool the water rather than more energy-consuming cooling systems.

With a view to further improvements, the plant is considering the following projects: (1) replacing air compressors with a variable-speed (oil-free) compressor featuring heat recovery that would reduce heating oil and electricity consumption, and (2) adding a new piece of equipment to the granulation system to create lozenge-shaped granules for reuse in the process.