BoreA Canada, a producer of organic essential oils, hydrosols, resins and extracts, is constructing a multipurpose building to increase production, while aiming for an 85 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In keeping with its circular economy framework, the building will be a repurposing of its existing facility at its Chapais, Que. headquarters. When it is complete in 2024, the two-storey building will have office and lab space.

“We need a building where we can gather multiple functions inside, like the distillery, the order preparation, warehousing and office space and so on,” said BoreA president Jean-Claude Villeneuve. “So that's why we call it (a) multifunction building and to help our expansion and to develop more product and have also R&D space.

"The vision of this building is we will try to reuse (and) recycle multiple sources, that will help for heating the building during winter and spring time."

In November, the company received a $115,190 loan from the federal government toward the building’s construction, as part of the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED).

The contractors have not been finalized at the time of writing, but Jonquière, Que.-based engineering firm Saga Consultants will be involved in the project.

BoreA Canada

Prior to construction new facility, BoreA says its patented extraction process to create essential oils and other products reduces GHG emissions by 60 per cent compared to traditional practices. Villeneuve said no diesel or propane is used to generate steam.

“When you produce essential oil, you use a boiler that generates steam and then you do the extraction through the steam. So we call this extraction. So the way people or other companies generate the steam is by using diesel or propane. In our case, we have a partnership with Chapais Energie, who has the capability of . . . burning the residual biomass of the logging industry to generate electricity.”

That residue is then returned to Chapais Energie and reused to generate more steam. The biomass itself is obtained from nearby boreal forests.

The 60 per cent figure was originally calculated about five years ago. The upgrade to an 85 per cent reduction is due to the installation of new electrical equipment and improvements to the process.

Villeneuve would not disclose the annual production capacity of either the old or new buildings, only to say the new construction would allow for “tons” per year.

“After that building, we will have other projects on the table to expand on,” he said. "This will be different buildings for different activities within the same company.”

The building itself is 60 feet by 200 feet, and will have other sustainable features to reduce emissions outside of the company’s extraction process. Villeneuve noted the larger amount of insulation needed thanks to the harsh winters of Quebec’s northern regions.

BoreA will also have plenty of options for heating the building, including its biomass residue, hot water residue or residual steam.

BoreA’s further sustainability

Beyond its own patented practice, BoreA pledges it will ensure reusable building materials are given a second life.

“The building itself is nothing new. It's a really recycled building structure with new engineering on it to make sure it's according to the construction law. As much as we can recycle, we will try it,” he said. 

“The first thinking is, can we get (used) equipment or (used) material to do the job before we buy a new one? That's a second level of, I would say, workforce sustainability and circular economy is to reuse things before buying new.”

One example is reusing as many of the interior doors as possible.

According to a survey conducted in 2022 by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, 90 per cent of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canadian manufacturing have not yet begun their low-carbon transition. These SMEs, however, generate approximately 30 per cent of Canada's total GHG emissions.

The CED announced in December it would double its three-year target for investment in strategic support for the environmental transition of SMEs in Quebec, up to $50 million.