Cascades wins innovation award

Photo: Cascades

Cascades is the winner of two 2020 CTAQ Food Innovation Awards for its unique product in North America: a 100% recycled and recyclable thermoformed cardboard tray. This packaging solution took the honours in the Packaging and Technology and Productivity categories.

This Cascades FreshTM product was launched in September 2020 with the goal of packaging fresh food in an efficient, environmentally friendly way. Its design has been rigorously tested to adapt to automated equipment without impacting their performance. This thermoformed tray delivers a unique innovative food packaging solution that was developed entirely using a circular economy approach and ecodesign principles. The tray is composed of 100% recycled fibres, mostly sourced from post-consumer sources certified "Recycled" under the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) standard.1 In addition, it is designed with a SurfSHIELDTM water-based coating that protects it from moisture without compromising the recyclability of the cardboard. Unlike traditional containers coated with a thin layer of plastic or other non-recyclable coatings, this food tray is easily recyclable and can be placed in the recycling bin.

Each year, the Conseil de la transformation alimentaire du Québec (CTAQ) organizes a competition to honour food industry companies that stand out by developing or launching innovative projects. In addition to being a two-time winner of the competition, Cascades' thermoformed cardboard tray was a finalist at the 2020 Sustainable Packaging Coalition Innovator Awards.

According to Luc Langevin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cascades Specialty Products Group: "Our team is honoured to be rewarded for its innovation efforts. We're proud of our pioneering roots, which are still evident today in our sustainable, value-added solutions that we make available to our customers. We thank the CTAQ and salute the innovative spirit of all the companies nominated."