CANADA (Notifix).- Tafisa, manufacturer of particleboard and decorative panels, has been distinguished among its peers for environmental achievements by a panel of experts and the public.

The Canadian manufacturer, part of the Portugal’s Sonae Group, was the laureate of the prestigious Phoenix Award for excellence in environmental protection and sustainability – Business Category, Environmental Achievement, Technology, Process or Practice.

The Phoenix Award is given by the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development and Environment, the Quebec Ministry of Finance and Economy, Eco Enterprises Quebec and the Quebec Environment Foundation.

A panel of experts chose Tafisa from a list of 35 companies for the success of its wood recycling technology, called Rewood. With this technology that required a $5.4 million investment, Tafisa was able to increase the post-consumer recycled wood fiber content in its panel production, enabling the company to recycle 244,000 tons of diverted wood each year, the equivalent of about two million trees.

''On behalf of Tafisa, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the environmental community and the public for their support," said Louis Brassard, Tafisa Chief Executive Officer, upon receiving the awards. Brassard, explained that Tafisa is one of the few plants in North America that are re-using wood to this extent. “We’re very proud of our company’s achievements to renew urban wood waste that would otherwise go to a landfill, eventually releasing harmful carbon emissions back into the air.”