Transcontinental Commits to Recycling or Reusing Its Plastics and Packaging

Transcontinental Inc., known as TC Continental, is Canada’s largest printer and flexible packaging business. It is committed to the circular economy, especially plastics, and the reduction of the corporate carbon footprint. The company had $2.6 billion in revenues in 2021 and employed 8,000 people. It has 41 operating facilities. 

It says that all of its plastics and packaging will be recyclable or reusable — and it will work to do the same in its supply chain and where it operates. 

“Moreover, TC Transcontinental is the first North American flexible packaging manufacturer to obtain a Sustainability Linked Loan, which provides for a rate adjustment based on achieving targets linked to environmental, social, and governance factors. This includes greenhouse gas emissions which we reduced by 10% since 2018, notably through extensive energy-efficiency projects,” says Peter Brues, chief executive officer, in the company’s 2021 sustainability statement. 

What’s the company’s track record? 

Its goals and progress: 

— reduce CO2 releases by 5% using a 2018 baseline. It has done 10%, which has been 3.3% in the last year. More specifically, the printing sector has reduced its emissions by 4.9%, and the packaging sector by 2.6% since the previous year. This has been achieved by installing heat recovery equipment, performing preventative maintenance, and deploying state-of-the-art equipment to improve energy efficiency. It is now working on its 2030 emissions reduction targets. 

— eliminate its non-hazardous waste-to-landfill by 100% by 2021. It is 90% of the way there. Through partnerships, it has diverted wood pallets, cardboard, plastic, organic waste, fluorescent lamps, and printing plates from landfill. 

For example, the Transcontinental Transmag plant shared printing waste with the Centre de ressources et d’action communautaire de la Petite-Patrie in Montreal. Together, they reused more than 500 kilograms of newspaper residue to protect their baskets during deliveries to vulnerable populations. 

And in Guatemala, it has increased its plastic recovery rate by reintroducing used plastics into many agricultural films. “In our packaging business, we actively manage plastic pellets to prevent them from ending up in the environment,” it says

— Moreover, all paper purchases must come from third-party certified or recycled sources. It is 98% of the way there. 

— By 2025, 100% of its plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable, from a 2018 baseline. That number is now 42%. 

— Invest at least 1% of the annual revenues of our packaging sector in research and development. That figure is .68% today.  

To meet its circular economy goals, it has assembled “highly-skilled sustainability gurus” to develop and execute its action plan centered on recycled content.

The aim is not just to build conservation-based economies domestically but also in the communities where the paper and packaging are sourced. That includes Latin America and Africa. “We believe in good sustainable forestry practices, which is why we aim to have 100% of our paper purchases come from third-party certified or recycled sources,” the company says. “In 2021, we approached this goal by reaching 98%, an increase of 2% over the last three years.” The aim is to build “robust conservation-based economies, rather than those that rely on the depletion of natural resources.”

It attributes the success to strict paper purchasing policies and practices, offering customers recycled fiber when possible.  It offers environmentally-friendly paper options containing pre- or post-consumer recycled fiber when available. Sometimes, it has to provide virgin paper, although the company says it uses best practices regarding forest management. That means it avoids cutting down ancient trees to make paper or packaging. And when trees are cut down, others are planted in their place. 

Transcontinental is committed to circular principles. Its products are eco-responsible and meet market demands, allowing customers to brand themselves as eco-aware. However, sustainable packaging represents just 42% of the products it markets. But its goal is to increase that by launching such products as pouches and bags for pets, barrier packaging for grated cheese, and stand-up pouch for granolas. 

Moreover, In 2021, the company says it invested in our advanced composting lab, allowing it to deepen its knowledge of the biodegradation process and provide a one-stop shop for our customers interested in bringing certified compostable packaging to market. Indeed, the company wants to hasten the pace of sustainable packaging and has increased its research investment to allow it to do that. 

To that end, TC Transcontinental Packaging dedicated a center called the Art, Science, and Technology for Research and its Applications in 2021 in Wisconsin. The facility’s purpose is to innovate and create prototypes to commercialize sustainable solutions for our customers. “Through our four labs, major brands and retailers can benefit from in-depth expertise in compostable, recyclable, and recycled-content packaging, rapid time-to-market from design to commercialization, optimized solutions in performance, and cost and turnkey packaging solutions.”