Quebecor is pleased to partner with Earth Day Quebec for the 7th consecutive year.

For years, Quebecor and its subsidiaries have been conducting a wide-ranging environmental program which has been very much a point of honour for us. his year again, we can point to a track record of which we can be proud. We have implemented a series of measures and made daily efforts in all our areas of activity. Our environmental philosophy can be summed up in four words: think ahead, act now. Together, our actions add up to a long-term difference for the community. I thank all our employees – more than 15,000 strong across Canada — for their engagement with all the initiatives we have taken within organization.

Quebecor and Videotron support Earth Calling program

Under their multi-faceted partnership with Earth Day Quebec, Quebecor and Videotron are part of the Earth Calling program. Launched in 2008, Earth Calling encourages consumers to bring their obsolete electronic equipment (mobile handsets, cables, connecters, chargers, remotes, tablets, batteries, accessories, game consoles, set-top boxes, digital receivers, routers and modems) to more than 230 drop-off points at Videotron, Le SuperClub Videotron and Archambault locations across Quebec.

 

To date, almost 100,000 handsets have been diverted from landfill sites. In 2013 alone, the combined efforts of Quebecor and Earth Calling recovered (for reuse or recycling) nearly 500 tonnes of electronic equipment.

Subsidiaries do their part

Quebecor backs Earth Day Quebec with financial assistance and a large-scale promotional campaign in all its media outlets. In addition, all Quebecor subsidiaries are helping to raise public awareness of environmental issues. For example, Le Journal de Montréal and 24 Heures will publish a special Earth Day supplement and the day will also be mentioned by TVA Publications’ magazines.

MAtv sponsors environmental award

The Porteur d’espoir competition, conducted in cooperation with Earth Day Quebec and ENvironnement JEunesse, recognizes green citizen initiatives in order to encourage environmental action by young people age 16 to 25. Talented youths were invited to submit their accomplishments to the competition. The winner, to be announced during a special environmental edition of MAtv’sLibre-service show on April 22, will be awarded the Porteur d’espoir 2014 title and a $2,500 grant from MAtv, proud supporter of the green award’s 7^th edition.

Subsidiaries go green

Nurun took part in ÉcoHack Montréal 2013, a hackathon for urban sustainability. The Nurun team developed Activez Montréal, a citizen app that helps Montrealers improve their urban environment and take back their city. It was awarded the second prize by the public.

 

Gestev, a leading promoter of sporting and cultural events with internationally recognized expertise, organized a number of major events concerned by the environment and sustainable development. Gestev’s driftwood recovery project at Beauport Bay was selected as a finalist for the Phénix environmental award in recognition of its positive environmental impact, and the 2013 edition of the Vélirium bicycle competition, organized by Gestev, received “level 2 Responsible Event Management certification” from the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec.

Responsible procurement

Since 2012, Quebecor has introduced a number of measures to ensure responsible use of natural resources, including:

• The Quebecor Media Printing subsidiary obtained Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification for its two commercial printing plants;
• Quebecor Media Book Group prints its black-and-white books on paper made of 100% post-consumer fibre;
• TVA Publications magazines are printed on more than 90% FSC-certified paper;
• Archambault has committed to start printing its flyers on FSC-certified paper this year.

Other green policies include a 5¢ charge for single-use bags at Archambault stores. In 2013, Archambault turned over more than $6,000 in proceeds from the sale of the bags to Earth Day Quebec, for a total of $80,000 since the beginning of its partnership with Earth Day. The money is used to fund schoolyard greening projects and other efforts.

Recycling and recovery

Every day, Quebecor supports recycling and recovery through a thousand and one actions aimed at reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill sites. Quebecor’s efforts in this area include:

• continuous improvement of multi-material recycling;
• environmentally responsible management of waste generated by Videotron network construction and maintenance;
• programs to recover and refurbish used computers at all of the subsidiaries.

To implement these programs, Quebecor works with social economy enterprises such as SIT and AFFI-Informatique.

Fighting greenhouse gas emissions

Without slowing its pace of growth, Quebecor is playing its part in the fight against climate change. Videotron is contributing to the reduction in Quebecor’s carbon footprint by cutting the emissions produced by its buildings and vehicle fleet. Since 2009, it has reduced its overall carbon footprint by 18%.

 

At the same time, Quebecor encourages its employees to use mass transit by participating in the Agence métropolitaine de transport’s Opus+ Entreprise program and the Société de transport de Montréal’s Opus & Cie program. It promotes cycling to work through the Bixi Corporatif program.

Education and mobilization

The team of green ambassadors spread across Quebecor’s subsidiaries provides information and raises awareness within the organization. In a new initiative, Quebecor distributed an environmental responsibility guide to educate all employees about environmental best practices.