The mission was simple. It was a question of embarking on a search for products that were both ecological and socially responsible. This was a good thing: the ecological component was to be honored at the ExpoHabitation in Montreal. Claudia Bérubé came expressly from Quebec, where she wants to contribute to changing mentalities as an expert advisor in ESG (environmental, social and governance factors) to companies, within the company Point Cardinal.
The names of a few potentially interesting exhibitors presenting ecological products and materials had been proposed in advance. “The products may seem ‘eco-responsible’ at first glance, but are they really? asked the expert after learning about the short list. She knew the practices of one of the companies suggested, whose household products she uses. For the others, it was necessary to check their environmental product declarations (EPD), if they proved to be worthy of interest, she specified.
It is therefore with an open mind, but a sharp eye that she undertook the visit of the ExpoHabitation of Montreal, at its opening, Thursday. You had to see her at work, asking specific questions about the products that caught her attention, which often claimed to be ecological or eco-responsible. It was their life cycle that interested him, ie their manufacture, transport, use and maintenance, durability and end of life. Will they end up in a landfill?
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Claudia Bérubé, interior designer and ESG expert advisor
The life cycle of a product is still a very abstract concept for some and too little considered by the majority of companies.
Claudia Bérubé, expert advisor in ESG
To see through greenwashing (greenwashing), she therefore multiplied the questions, obtaining satisfactory answers in only two places. When she was in doubt, she took out her cell phone and consulted the websites of companies looking for the famous environmental declarations of products, to really enlighten her. She remained hungry.
An interior designer, she understands all too well the difficulty of choosing between a sustainable material which is not necessarily ecological and an ecological material which is not necessarily sustainable. From the outset, it eliminated products made in China. “We forget that, she decided, examining a product that is nevertheless promising. It’s not so much for the environmental issue, but for the social side. »
Here are the two stands, of Quebec companies, which have favorably caught his attention.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Claudia Bérubé already uses cleaning products from Myni. For the form, she asked questions to Lili Ménard, marketing coordinator.
Myni
The Myni company was founded in 2020 by Marie-Hélène David, who already had an environmental streak and noted with horror that the toxic fumes from household products stored under her sink had pierced the pipe. Established in Quebec, it has since sought to offer effective household and body products, made with ingredients from natural sources, biodegradable and generating no waste. In tablet form, the products mix with water, eliminating the use of plastic bottles. The packaging is compostable.
“It’s hard not to recommend this company since I use the products,” says Claudia Bérubé, noting that all aspects of the life cycle, right up to packaging, have been taken into consideration.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
At the Premier Tech stand, Michel Lemieux and Robert Bélanger made a good impression thanks to the transparency of their remarks.
Premier Tech
Claudia Bérubé warned the photographer, who arrived once the overview had been completed: “The products are not sexy. It is indeed a septic system (with the Ecoflo biofilter comprising sustainable coconut husk) and a rainwater collector (Rewatec) that are highlighted in the stand of the Premier Tech company, whose the world headquarters is located in Rivière-du-Loup.
“Water management is a global issue,” says the advisor. You have to be careful with water, even here, because with climate change there may not be as much of it. »
She also appreciated the frankness of Michel Lemieux, retired Premier Tech enthusiast, and Robert Bélanger, customer service coordinator. “They took the time to talk to us and I liked the transparency of their explanations,” she says. If they didn’t know something, they said so. They weren’t telling useless lies. »