Cascades’ Alain Lemaire Named "Greenest CEO in Canada"

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This past week at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ont., Canada, Alain Lemaire, executive chairman of the board at Cascades, Kingsey Falls, Que., Canada, was named "Greenest CEO in Canada," a recognition initiated by Corporate Knights, an organization specialized in the promotion of good corporate practices in terms of social responsibility. The award, given for the first time, was presented to Lemaire before more than 500 guests gathered as part of Corporate Knight's 12th annual gala that reveals and honors Canada's best 50 corporate citizens.

Cascades produces, converts, and markets packaging and tissue products that are composed mainly of recycled fibers. The company employs more than 12,000 employees who work in more than 100 production units across North America and Europe.

The candidacy of the person who co-founded Cascades and who lead the company for nearly 10 years, taking over from his brothers Bernard and Laurent, was unanimous among the jury members. The jury was made up of leaders from Canada's five most recognized environmental organizations: Équiterre, the David Suzuki Foundation, World Wildlife Fund-Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the Pembina Institute. According to Toby Heaps, president of Corporate Knights,

"the jury recognized in Alain Lemaire a man who has a number of environmental achievements to his credit. Among these, the ongoing concern to prioritize recycled fibers over virgin wood fibers as a raw material; the development of strategic partnerships to offer Cascade's expertise, namely in energy efficiency and in the management of waste materials; and lastly, the continued willingness to improve the company's results with regard to water and energy consumption."

Lemaire said that "this recognition is an exceptional way to conclude my experience as head of the family business that we founded close to 50 years ago. I am also honored to be the first recipient of this prestigious award. I would like to congratulate the other nominees and thank the members of the jury, but also to salute Corporate Knight's initiative for having created this award. Corporate leaders are often recognized for their management style and economic achievements, but rarely for their environmental accomplishments."