InnuScience

The winners of the NSERC 2018 Awards. Ali Kademi, Ph.D., InnuScience – completely to the right in the top row. The Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada – standing in the center. Louis Tessier, Ph.D., Collège de Shawinigan – completely to the right in the bottom row. Photo: Adam Scotti (Office of the Prime Minister)

 

On May 1st, some of Canada’s most talented scientists and engineers were honored by Government of Canada dignitaries for their excellence. As part of the NSERC Recognition Program, the Synergy Award for Innovation 2018 was awarded to InnuScience Canada and Collège de Shawinigan for a research project they conducted through a research and development partnership that will contribute to bringing significant technological advancements in the field of bio-cleaners.

Ali Kademi, Ph.D., of InnuScience and Louis Tessier, Professor at Collège de Shawinigan, proudly received this mention and recognition of excellence. The Synergy Award for Innovation highlights examples of collaboration that provide a model of effective partnership between industry and academia.

The awards ceremony was chaired by Her Excellency the Right Honorable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. For the occasion, the recipients also had the privilege of exchanging with the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

 

Winners of the NSERC 2018 Awards had the privilege of exchanging with the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. Ali Kademi, Ph.D., InnuScience – on the left, is speaking with Mr. Trudeau – second from the right. Photo: Adam Scotti (Office of the Prime Minister)

 

Her Excellency the Right Honorable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, with Ali Kademi, Ph.D., InnuScience. Photos : MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall

 

Her Excellency the Right Honorable Julie Payette, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, with Louis Tessier, Ph.D., Collège de Shawinigan. Photos : MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall

 

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmwZRA9PJ4Y[/embedyt]

 

The integration project of ecological cleaning solutions, established in 2014 and coordinated by the Supply Chain, has changed the ways of doing in depth in the company. Without the involvement and commitment of people who believed in the possibilities of biotechnology, this improvement project could not have been realized.

Recall that InnuScience’s products, a quebec-based company in Sainte-Julie, are Ecologo certified  and meet stringent requirements for quality and environmental performance. These products fit perfectly into a sustainable development approach. The basic principle is simple: the “good” bacteria in products “biodegrade” the organic matter in the soil and their action extend beyond the cleaning.

Unlike the majority of chemicals, ecological solutions are not harmful to health and have less impact on the environment: they are fully biodegradable in less than 14 days, without volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hypoallergenic, multipurpose, concentrated and used in cold water.

Positive employee testimonials 

These odorless products, which have to be applied at a precise dosage and which in some cases require a time to pose to act effectively, were initially welcomed with a certain skepticism among our employees. When you always use corrosive products that clean quickly, changing habits can be difficult!

However, as soon as eco-friendly products were introduced, some employees noted positive changes. Maintenance workers at TC Stinson Anne Marie Lemay and Julie Richard, as well as the steam assistant at Villeray Phalavuth Sok, confirm that their health has improved. Since the introduction of the new soaps, respiratory problems, chronic cough, headaches, dizziness and tingling of the skin and eyes have been eliminated. According to them, the soaps are effective but it is necessary to read the instructions of use and when there is a problem, the supplier is listening to the requests. Manon Laflamme, a maintenance worker at Lionel-Groulx, is also satisfied with the performance of environmentally friendly products. She especially noted the disappearance of aerosol products, harmful to the environment. The Supply Chain team provided support throughout the project and facilitated the linkage between the transaction requests and the supplier. While some non-environmentally friendly products are still used to clean heavily soiled or dielectric parts, technology is constantly evolving and the replacement of non-ecological products is proceeding gradually.

A significant improvement

The STM can be proud of these results, with supporting figures:

  • Decrease of 17,500 aerosol containers per year
  • Recurring savings of 33%
  • 37% reduction of packaging materials and 62% of the CO2 emitted during the transport of products
  • Elimination of 16 tons of air pollutants, 136 tons of products harmful to the aquatic environment and 14 tons of VOCs

To ensure the sustainability of the green, the good will of all users is required! To this end, the Supply Chain will continue to work closely with the relevant maintenance departments.

Corinne has been a member of the InnuScience team for 20 years.

A biochemist by training, she oversees research and development activities, and science-related activities. Mother of two, she leads a successful career filled with stress, surprises and challenges.  She is greatly appreciated by all; colleagues, partners, customers and suppliers.

For 20 years, Corinne has contributed to the success and recognition of InnuScience.

A big thank you Corinne!

In the latest issue of the prestigious journal Water Front (SIWI – Stockholm International Water Institute www.siwi.org), there is an article on using biotechnology as an important solution for reducing the use of chemical products (page 13).
The author who wrote the article is Andreas Lindström with co-authors, none other than Joachim Åhlander and Linda Nordin Rosendahl, our colleagues at InnuScience in Sweden.
Here is the link: