TC Transcontinental, the 8th largest printer in North America, has been working cooperatively with Canopy since 2003. Initially, we collaborated to print various titles on 100 % recycled Ancient Forest Friendly™ paper and as we worked together, TC Transcontinental’s support for, and use of, ecopaper grew rapidly.
In October 2007 that collaboration led to the company publishing its first ecopaper purchasing policy, which was updated in 2012. The policy continues to include a paper hierarchy, which states a top-level preference for domestically produced 100 % recycled papers. TC Transcontinental’s policy applies to all its business divisions and was recognized by the “WhatTheyThink Environmental Innovation Awards” as an ‘Environmental Thought Leader’. The judges drew specific attention to the company’s work to implement the paper purchasing policy developed with Canopy, including surpassing ecopaper purchasing targets put in place to ensure policy implementation.
TC Transcontinental has supported the research and development of straw papers via Canopy’s straw market survey, and publishes an annual Corporate Social Responsibility report. Francois Olivier, TC Transcontinental’s President and CEO, is a strong champion for environmental leadership within TC and his supply chain. He leads by example and has successfully encouraged other CEO’s to adopt similar positions.
Mr. Olivier reaches beyond his supply chain to personally advance conservation in key ecological hotspots of Canada’s Boreal Forest and beyond. In 2014 Mr. Olivier delivered the keynote at a critical meeting of forest products’ customers gathered to advance conservation in the Broadback Forest, a key area of Canada’s Boreal Forest. TC Transcontinental’s path to ecopaper leadership and the role its senior leadership has played in the company’s sustainability initiatives show the role that North America’s largest printers can have in setting the bar for environmental performance while maintaining a strong market share and maintaining annual sales.
