Sollio Cooperative Group implements measures and controls to comply with applicable laws, environmental regulations, and other requirements and takes appropriate action to prevent pollution.

All Sollio Cooperative Group’s facilities, in full ownership or partnership, undergo environmental compliance audits in all Canadian provinces. 

Environmental consultants use audit protocols based on the respective province’s regulations and the company’s internal requirements. 

A report including an environmental compliance registry is provided to the visited facility’s managers so that they can take any necessary corrective action to protect the environment, be a respectful neighbour, and maintain the facilities’ financial health. 

Sollio Cooperative Group regularly assesses the activities carried in its facilities.

The results of these assessments (compliance with environmental laws and regulations, environmental incidents, complaints, etc.) are regularly disclosed to management and the Board of Directors to document the evolution of the company’s environmental performance and the required improvement and risk management actions. 

The Environmental Department uses an integrated environmental management system that centralizes data from various audits that its consultants conduct. 

Environmental management dashboards, compliance statistics, and environmental compliance summary tables are produced to keep site managers, business unit leaders, executives, and directors apprised of the company’s environmental situation, to gauge changes in environmental compliance, and to facilitate exercising accountability for managers and directors. 

Sollio Cooperative Group implements and maintains emergency preparedness plans to respond appropriately to environmental incidents and reduce environmental and financial risks. 

Environmental emergency plans are created jointly by environmental consultants and facility managers. These plans include the locations of emergency equipment at the facility, as well as the appropriate response steps and information concerning emergency management logistics. 

This makes disaster response prompter and more efficient. 

Sollio Cooperative Group conducts environmental assessments of the companies, joint ventures, activities, and goods that it plans to acquire or start.     

Major investments undergo an assessment that allows the company to measure the environmental impact of its purchasing or acquisition decisions. 

In transactions involving real estate, an environmental site assessment is mandatory as part of Sollio Cooperative Group’s environmental due diligence practices. 

Sollio Cooperative Group implements employee and manager training programs on environmental management and prevention of environmental risks inherent to its members and their activities. It also provides on-the-job training for employees involved in high-risk operations.

Environmental management and sustainable development training is regularly given to various facility managers from different business units of both Sollio Cooperative Group and joint-venture partners. 

Furthermore, as part of the implementation of environmental management systems, on-the-job training is provided to those responsible for the operations of the various facilities with potential environmental impacts. 

Sollio Cooperative Group is progressively implementing an environmental management system (EMS) at its high-risk facilities. This EMS involves the use of standardized management tools (procedures, self-assessments, guides, etc.) tailored to the intended sites’ operations. These tools are also available for all other facilities and are saved on the company’s intranet.

To effectively maintain environmental compliance in high-risk facilities and to continually improve business practices, Sollio Cooperative Group’s Environmental Department is progressively implementing an environmental management system based on ISO 14001. With on-the-job training and the use of operational procedures and various self-monitoring tools, employees responsible for potentially risky environmental operations stay aware of the appropriate best practices for controlling potential impacts related to the various identified environmental factors.

Where possible, Sollio Cooperative Group takes the necessary steps to ensure good neighbour relations with citizens who may be affected by its activities and operations. 

Sollio Cooperative Group works to minimize the impacts of its activities on its neighborhoods and strives to maintain healthy relationships with the local communities. 

With this approach in mind, the “Good Neighborhood Assistance Guide” was published to provide tools for understanding our neighbours’ concerns and maintaining strong relationships with them.