Things Are Getting Greener at Unisource Canada Inc.

Unisource Canada Inc. has taken the next step in its commitment to become a more sustainable company by establishing a dedicated Sustainability Task Force.

Unisource is a Canadian supplier of over 80,000 paper, printing, imaging, graphic arts, packaging products, and maintenance supplies and equipment. The company has taken the first step in greening its operations by establishing a dedicated Sustainability Task Force whose mission will be to incorporate sustainability into the Unisource roadmap by building an understanding of what corporate sustainability means and creating a baseline of current performance; developing  a clear vision of the corporate strategy moving forward; and documenting and communicating progress on priorities that will be shared with all stakeholders.

Unisource Canada is committed to driving environmental excellence further into the organization by reducing resource consumption and improving energy efficiencies. Today it is evaluating greenhouse gas and solid waste emissions, and building a governance structure to monitor progress. In the coming months, it expects to release its first sustainability report.

An analysis of Unisource’s operating practices in 2008, conducted by management consulting firm Five Winds International, started the company down the road of calculating its eco-footprint at five of its Southwestern Ontario locations. Five Winds advises both business and government on how to integrate environmental and social considerations into their core decision-making processes.

At that time, Five Winds International conducted an analysis of Unisource Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions from operations (including utilities and sales, and its transportation fleet); its use of consumables including packaging and office paper, and its water usage.

As a result, Unisource has learned more about the impact of its everyday activities and identified opportunities to make progress towards more sustainable practices.

Since then, the company has taken several steps to reduce the carbon footprint of its delivery fleet. Implementing the Unisource Mobile Solution (GPS) in all of its trucks has helped the company to achieve a 70 per cent reduction in idle time and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by targeting a speed limit of 100 km/h. They have also reduced their paper usage with the ePOD (electronic proof of delivery) system.

Unisource Canada is proud of the fact that it was the first Canadian distributor to earn FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), SFI (Sustainable Forestry Incentive), PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and Chain of Custody certifications, which has allowed the company to play an important role in maintaining environmental integrity throughout the distribution chain.