Montreal, January 30 – Oatbox, a Quebec company specializing in oat-based products, is pleased to announce that it is committing to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Montreal company is starting this process as part of a program led by Inno-centre that aims to support SMEs in the food processing sector in reducing their GHG emissions while optimizing their business performance. This program builds on an initiative made possible by the financial support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) and the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP).

A strategic approach for a more sustainable future

Since its founding, Oatbox has built eco-friendly practices into its processes, notably by choosing Canadian oats for its products and by building its own oat extraction plant in Quebec. Through this new collaboration with Inno-centre, the company is taking a further step in its commitment to the environment while strengthening its business performance. The personalized support it will receive will make it possible to put concrete actions in place to reduce its GHG emissions and optimize its business processes, while supporting sustainable economic development.

A call to action for the agri-food industry

This service to raise awareness and assess the potential for reducing GHG emissions is an important opportunity for food processing companies. To be eligible, companies must operate in the food processing sector, be located in Quebec, have sales of between $1 and $200 million, expect significant growth in the short or medium term, and commit to making reasonable efforts to achieve the GHG emission reduction goals they have set.

By taking part in this initiative, Oatbox hopes to inspire other companies to reduce their environmental impact and adopt more sustainable practices, while improving their business performance.

“We are very excited to benefit from the support of Inno-centre's experts to reduce our carbon footprint even further. This mandate will give us a fresh look at our practices and a clear action plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions while accelerating Oatbox's sustainable growth. We see it as a tremendous opportunity to go even further with our ESG objectives, the foundation of our purpose.”

– Marc-Antoine Bovet, co-founder of Oatbox

Calculating your carbon footprint: a first step toward action

Inno-centre also offers an accessible, free GHG emissions estimation tool, specially designed for Quebec's food sector. The tool provides a valuable estimate to identify the sources that contribute to GHG emissions and suggests levers for action to reduce them. Interested companies can access it through this link: https://ges.inno-centre.com/en. In addition to the GHG emissions estimation tool, the support initiative led by Inno-centre allows targeted Quebec SMEs such as Oatbox to benefit from 200 hours of specialized support to reduce their GHG emissions and optimize their business performance, by putting the reduction of their environmental impact forward as a key factor in their competitiveness.

About Inno-centre

For more than 35 years, Inno-centre has been helping SMEs increase their business performance at various stages of their development. By offering consulting services in a wide range of fields, Inno-centre supports more than 650 companies each year from the major sectors of the Quebec and Canadian economy. A partner of choice for regional and provincial business ecosystems, Inno-centre stands out for its ability to create value for the companies it supports, while helping to strengthen Quebec's economic fabric in keeping with the imperatives of sustainable development.

About Oatbox

Founded in Montreal in November 2014, Oatbox is a Canadian leader in food products made from Canadian oats, including a range of oat beverages, granolas, oatmeals, overnight oats and granola bars, as well as an oat processor. Oatbox products are found in more than 600 points of sale, including most of the country's major grocery chains. In addition to its Oatbox-branded products, its plant in Saint-Damase processes oats into a liquid base for various companies.

Sources:

Éric Waterman
Vice-President, Agri-Food
+1 877 987-9550 | eric.waterman@inno-centre.com

George Sabbagh
Vice-President, Technology Solutions
+1 877 987-9550 | george.sabbagh@inno-centre.com

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