Laurent Fisher, General Manager of Cartonnerie Gondardennes, carried the Olympic flame for the Hauts-de-France region in a collective relay on July 3, 2024. "Carrying the flame live and feeling the energy of the event was an unforgettable moment!" shares the entrepreneur on LinkedIn.
Saluting commitment to water conservation
Cartonnerie Gondardennes, part of the family-owned CGW Packaging group with sales of 193 million euros, was chosen for its commitment to water management and conservation, a major cause supported by Banque Populaire du Nord, a partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Wardrecques, Nord-Pas-de-Calais-based company, specialized in the manufacture of corrugated base paper and corrugated board, is committed to the responsible management of resources, particularly water. It was among the first in Europe to adopt a closed water circuit system, eliminating all process water discharges into the environment. In addition to conserving water resources, water consumption has been reduced to 3.6 m 3 per tonne of paper produced compared to 10 m 3 for a conventional paper mill.
In 2023, the cardboard mill has launched a project to recover rainwater from its facilities. With an investment of 1.7 million euros, the company plans to capture over 125,000 m³ of rainwater per year, reducing its consumption to around 2.7 m³ per tonne of paper. The initiative has been praised by the French Water Agency. In the same year, over 900,000 euros were allocated to improve the efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant.
"For Cartonnerie Gondardennes, moving forward together to protect people, resources and the environment is a daily mission. These principles of sharing and responsibility are also at the heart of our CSR approach, which has been actively deployed for over 20 years!" says Laurent Fischer.
