Quebecor, in collaboration with its subsidiaries, is pleased to associate with the Jour de la Terre Québec organization for the seventh consecutive year. An important initiative of the partnership includes the Earth Calling! recycling program for mobile handsets, accessories and batteries, which Quebecor and its Videotron subsidiary have been supporting since 2008. More than 240 drop-off points have been set up in Videotron stores and kiosks, Le SuperClub Vidéotron locations and Archambault stores across Quebec. To date, nearly 100,000 handsets have been diverted from landfill sites, achieving a reuse rate estimated at 24%.

Itinerant e-waste collection events

First one to be held on Earth Day, the 22^nd of April, at Square Victoria

This year, Quebecor, Videotron and Jour de la Terre Québec are expanding their partnership by organizing itinerant e-waste events where consumers can drop off a variety of electronic devices. The first will be held on Earth Day, the 22^nd of April,at Square Victoria in Montréal (between Viger St. and Saint-Antoine St.). For the event, a sorting centre will be set up on-site. Individual consumers, retailers and businesses will be able to dispose of their electronic wastes, including a wide range of consumer electronic products such as mobile devices, desktop computers, television sets, printers, answering machines, modems, cables, connectors, remote controls and much more. Volunteers will be on hand to greet visitors and guide them through the sorting centre. Music, events and speeches on environmental subjects will also be featured.  

In addition to financial assistance, Quebecor supports Jour de la Terre Québec with a large-scale promotional campaign across its numerous media platforms. Furthermore, Quebecor’s subsidiaries will help promote public awareness of environmental issues. For example, MAtv has partnered with jourdelaterre.tv, the Journal de Montréal will publish a special Earth Day supplement on April 18^th, and the daily 24 Heureswill do the same on April 22^nd. TVA’s program Salut Bonjour!, TVA Publications’ magazines and Quebecor’s many community newspaper will also cover the event Earth Day.

“The e-waste collection event will help collect and give a second life to dozens of tons of e-waste”, mentioned Pierre Lussier, Executive Vice President of Jour de la Terre Québec. “Our partnership with Quebecor has proved very beneficial for the environment thus far. It is clear to us that environmental concerns are deeply embedded in Quebecor’s corporate values.”

Quebecor and its environmental strategy: 2012 results and milestones

“The sum of our many daily acts for the environment has a direct positive impact on our society”, said Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor. “There is great power in the combined efforts of our company, our subsidiaries and our 16,000 employees: the power of numbers! Quebecor is proud of its role in supporting so many environmental programs.”

Recycling and recovery

Every day, Quebecor supports numerous recycling and recovery actions aimed at reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill sites. Quebecor’s initiatives in this area include: continuous improvement of multi-material recycling, environmentally responsible management of waste stemming from the construction and maintenance of Videotron’s network, and programs to recover and refurbish the organization’s used computers. To implement these programs, Quebecor works with social economy enterprises such as SIT, Insertech Angus and AFFI-Informatique.

Improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Quebecor has been measuring its energy consumption and calculating its greenhouse gas emissions for the past three years. As part of its continuous improvement process, it compiles the results and reports them to the Carbon Disclosure Project. Initiatives in this area include the installation of hybrid electrical systems on some of the vehicles in Videotron’s fleet accompanied by eco-driving awareness campaigns. Together, these efforts yielded a 17.47% reduction in Videotron’s CO₂ fleet emissions in 2012 compared with 2011.

At the same time, Quebecor encourages its employees to use mass transit by participating in theOpus+ Entreprise program operated by the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and theOpus & Cie program operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). It also promotes cycling to work through the Bixi Corporate program and encourages carpooling through the AMT’s carpooling website.

Responsible procurement

Quebecor has introduced a number of measures related to responsible use of natural resources. In 2012, Quebecor Media Printing obtained the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification for its two printing plants. FSC certification tracks forest fibre through the supply chain, from the forest to the consumer, and guarantees that FSC certified products have not been mixed with uncertified products.

Quebecor Media Book Group has been printing its black-and-white books on paper made of 100% post-consumer fibre since 2007. In 2012, that practice saved 1,106 trees, the equivalent of the area of 81 hockey rinks. Moreover, more than 90% of TVA Publications magazines are printed on FSC-certified paper. Other initiatives include a 5¢ charge for single-use bags at Archambault stores, with all proceeds going to Jour de la Terre Québec. The money is used to fund greening projects and other environmental efforts.

Education and mobilization

Quebecor’s team of green ambassadors, spread among its subsidiaries, provide information and raise awareness within the organization. Efforts to raise public awareness included a pledge in 2011 by the commuter daily newspaper, the 24 Heures, to plant two trees for every ton of newspaper recycled by users of Montréal’s metro system. As a result, in October 2012, employees of the 24 Heuresand the STM symbolically transformed the 851 tonnes of paper recycled in 2011 into more than 1,700 plants, which will grow in a section of Montreal`s Angrignon Park.