Éco Entreprises Québec annual general assembly

Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) held its Annual General Assembly on April 24, 2014, where attendees learned more about the year’s highlights reported in the recently published Annual Report (English version available soon).

Board Chair Denis Brisebois emphasized how EPR has changed in the 10 years since ÉEQ came into being and the need to meet new business requirements. That context has led the organization to move beyond its financial responsibility and get involved in enhancing Quebec’s curbside recycling system. It is therefore from that perspective that ÉEQ’s 2013-2016 strategic plan and the recast of its general by laws were presented. These two documents have the same purpose: to establish a framework and acquire the means to take action as a major figure in the system, in its members’ interest, and consolidate the move from the role of collector to the crucial role of optimizer that ÉEQ is planning to play at every step of the curbside recycling value chain.

Landmark achievements

Maryse Vermette, President and CEO, reported on ÉEQ’s achievements in 2013, including successes resulting from increased efficiency in the identification of obligated companies and in Company Report analyses as well as ÉEQ’s active participation in the crucial question of costs associated with materials not designated by the Regulation. This involvement, in cooperation with several member companies and associations, resulted in the adoption of a regulation that reduced the costs industry is required to compensate by 7.5% (approximately $11 million in 2013). Other ÉEQ achievements include the launch of the OptimEco.ca portal promoting the ecodesign of containers, packaging and printed matter, and laying the foundations of the Best Practices Project for curbside recycling, which focuses on enhancing the system via a forum for municipal representatives to share proven and effective practices. In addition, many partnership and communication activities gave companies opportunities to showcase their significant contribution to curbside recycling.
    
Outlook for 2014: Stakeholder mobilization at every step of the system

In wrapping up the Assembly with an outline of ÉEQ’s plans and objectives for 2014, Ms. Vermette called on companies to maintain their considerable commitment and emphasized the need to approach curbside recycling from global and business perspectives. More than ever, ÉEQ will invite stakeholders at every step of the curbside recycling chain to participate in improving the system’s effectiveness. ÉEQ will endeavour to constantly enhance services and tools in support of company reporting, work to revise the 10-year old fee structure, promote the OptimEco.ca portal and inspiring company initiatives as well as deploy the Best Practices Project. ÉEQ will also continue to promote the bacs+ group and its activities to enhance curbside recycling, and will actively participate in two crucial government studies, specifically a comparison of the effectiveness of the deposit system vs. curbside recycling, and an analysis of the pros and cons of transferring curbside recycling management to industry. Finally, ÉEQ will continue to broaden away-from-home materials recovery with major joint investments of $8 million until 2017 with the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques.

New faces on the Board of Directors

ÉEQ is pleased to welcome two new Board Directors: Alain Charron, Vice-President, Supply Chain, Aldo Group Inc., and Johanne Leclerc, Vice-President, Operations – Québec, Ivanhoé Cambridge inc. ÉEQ also announced the election by acclamation of four Board members whose terms expired on April 24, 2014. By virtue of ÉEQ’s general by-laws, Board Directors are elected for two-year terms.

ÉEQ’s 2014-2015 Board of Directors is therefore as follows:

Denis Brisebois	Designated representative of Metro inc.	Mid-point of term
Florent Gravel	Designated representative of Fromagerie Pimar/Hamel Inc.	Term renewed
Alain Charron	Designated representative of Aldo Group Inc.	New Board Director
Martin Labrecque	Designated representative of Uni-Sélect Inc.	Mid-point of term
Suzanne Blanchet	Designated representative of Cascades Tissue Group	Mid-point of term
Sylvie Cloutier	Designated representative of the Conseil de la transformation agroalimentaire et des produits de consummation	Mid-point of term
Pierre M. Nadeau	Designated representative of the Conseil des industriels laitiers du Québec	Term renewed
Sylvain Mayrand	Designated representative of A. Lassonde Inc.	Term renewed
Johanne Leclerc	Designated representative of Ivanhoé Cambridge inc.	New Board Director
Bernard Le Blanc	Designated representative of Desjardins Group	Term renewed
Jean Lefebvre	Designated representative of the Conseil des chaînes de restaurants du Québec	Mid-point of term
Jean-François Thériault	Designated representative of the Société des alcohols du Québec	Mid-point of term
Pierre Labelle	Designated representative of the Retail Council of Canada	Mid-point of term
Éric Brunelle	Designated representative of Agropur, cooperative	Mid-point of term

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mandate of the following Directors was renewed at the Board meeting that followed the Annual General Assembly:

• Denis Brisebois, Chair
• Suzanne Blanchet, Vice-Chair
• Florent Gravel, Secretary-Treasurer

Note that the general by-laws adopted by the Assembly, which were recast to provide more flexibility under the rules of governance, are available to members upon request.
 
About Éco Entreprises Québec

Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is the organization that develops the Schedule of Contributions and collects company contributions, which are then redistributed to finance municipal curbside recycling services in Quebec. ÉEQ also encourages innovation and best practices in order to optimize the recyclable materials value chain. To do so, ÉEQ cooperates, on the one hand, with companies to reduce quantities of materials at the source and encourage the use of recyclable materials, as well as with municipalities and other stakeholders to increase recycling and the economic value of recovered materials. Created by companies that put containers, packaging and printed matter on Quebec’s market, ÉEQ is a private non-profit organization that was accredited by RECYC-QUÉBEC in 2005 under the Environment Quality Act.

Source and information:
Virginie Bussières
Communications Director
Éco Entreprises Québec
514-987-1491, ext. 225