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Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Our Sarnia plant is committed to upholding the highest standards in safety, health and environmental (SH&E) practices, while also striving to make a positive and lasting impact in our local community.
Built in 1953, our plant houses three manufacturing units that produce carbon blacks for elastomer reinforcement for our North American customers. With more than 100 employees, we are active in our community and participate in a variety of charitable initiatives throughout the year.
The safety of our employees, contractors, visitors and local community members is always our top priority. We participate in the Drive to Zero initiative, which reflects our goal of achieving zero recordable injuries worldwide.
Industry Outreach and Responsibility
Cabot is a regular supporter/participant in a number of local committees in Sarnia including:
- Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce – an organization supporting Sarnia Lambton’s business community
- Clean Air Sarnia & Area (CASA) – provides information from Sarnia’s air monitoring network
- Bluewater Association of Safety, Environment and Sustainability (BASES) – an umbrella organization that works with the organizations below to encourage information exchange between industry and the community
- Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association (SLEA) – monitors environmental conditions
- Sarnia-Lambton Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) – coordinates response to safety related issues
- Industrial Education Cooperative (IEC) – a unique partnership of experts from education, labour, contractors, and industry to improve safety performance in our community. Through the Sarnia-Lambton Safety Partnership Model, the organization enables an injury-free culture by identifying and implementing opportunities to improve safety performance and efficiencies by collaborating in the development of safety standards and programs.
- Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) – shares members’ stories with decision-makers at the federal and provincial levels to help shape public policy that supports innovation, investment, sustainability, jobs, and the environment
- Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) – national trade association that strengthens and protects the reputation and competitiveness of the Canadian tire and rubber industry, with focus on government relations, sustainability, public education, industry data and networking
- Lambton College Program Advisory Committees – a leader in education and applied research with a mission to ensure student and community success
Caring For Our People and Communities
International Women’s Day 2022
Cabot Sarnia celebrated International Women’s Day 2022 by taking a "break" to help Break the Bias. Colleagues enjoyed doughnuts, specially made to mark the occasion, and shared meaningful conversations to further advance our culture of equality.
Some other ways employees were encouraged to show their support:
- Participating in a training session offered by the Cabot Diversity & Inclusion Council to learn about Microaggressions.
- Sending a word of encouragement or thanks to a woman or girl in their lives to lift them up.
- Donating to an organization that supports equality locally or globally.
- Learning more about gender equality in Canada on the Canadian Women's Foundation website.
Local Support
Cabot Canada employees present Sarnia-Lambton United Way Resource Development Manager Rebecca Brander (far right) with their contribution to this year's campaign. Photo courtesy of United Way of Sarnia Lambton Facebook.
Women's Interval Home of Sarnia Lambton
The Women’s Interval Home of Sarnia and Lambton Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization that provides emergency shelter and counselling services to abused women and their children in Sarnia-Lambton.
Throughout 2021 Cabot has supported the important work the Women’s Interval Home does in our community. On March 8th in honor of International Women’s Day, a donation was made. Cabot was proud to be a Gold Sponsor of the Walk a Mile event held in November, which raised $19,000 nearly doubling the target of $10,000 that was set for the event. And in December 2021 an employee led fundraiser contributed another donation to help end the cycle of violence against women in our society.
Pathways Center for Children – First Nations Therapy Program
The Cabot Foundation awarded a grant contributing $10,000/year over three years totaling $30,000 in support of Pathways’ First Nations Therapy Program which provides speech, occupational and physiotherapy to children and youth with special needs.
Employees at Cabot’s Sarnia facility were deeply affected by the discovery of unmarked children’s graves in residential schools across the country this past year. Our employees have been actively engaged in supporting reconciliation actions. A group of employees organized a charity BBQ with all funds donated to the Aamjiwnaang Child Care Center and another donation was made in support of a First Nations Youth Empowerment Program that ran throughout the summer.
Vendor Managed Inventory Project
Employees in our Stores Department recognized the amount of cardboard box waste generated by the daily deliveries from various vendor managed inventory (VMI) suppliers and they proposed a sustainability partnership to implement the use of collapsible/returnable plastic bins.
Cabot Sarnia made a small, one-time investment of $575 to purchase and label the bins with Cabot logos. VMI suppliers now drop off the collapsible bins filled with stock and leave the site with the same count of bins from the empty pile for our next delivery. It is estimated that this initiative is replacing 36-40 cardboard boxes per week which equates to saving approximately 14 trees per year.
Take Your Kids to Work Day 2021
The students got fully geared up in safety equipment for a full plant tour, where they were excited to see first-hand how carbon black is produced and take in the view from the top of our bulk stacks.
We were excited to bring back Take Our Kids To Work Day in 2021. We hosted 6 grade 9 students who participated in several activities including, performing PH tests on water samples and everyday liquids, making an AutoCAD drawing with our drafting dept., weighing samples and performing tests in our lab, seeing a welding demonstration in maintenance. Over 20 employee volunteers helped make the day a success.
Children’s Christmas Stocking Stuffer
2021 marks 20 years that Cabot Canada has managed the Children's Christmas Stocking Stuffer event for the Inn of the Good Shepherd, helping brighten the holidays for 200-250 less fortunate children. At the Inn's annual Children’s Christmas Party each child received a photo with Santa, a book, stocking, stuffed animal, gift and treats.
Cabot and our employees donated and raised funds year-round to support this event. Our employees, retirees and family members volunteered their time to ensure each stocking was filled with special items and ready for the party.
BBQ Fundraiser Supports Hospice
Cabot Canada held a BBQ Fundraiser which raised $558.39 for St. Joseph’s Hospice.
Since 2005 St. Joseph's Hospice has been serving the Sarnia/Lambton community as a Resource Centre for terminally ill people as they face their illnesses and providing support programs for people who are caring for or grieving the loss of a loved one. Cabot has been a key donor over the years and the construction of the Hospice’s “Quiet Room” was made possible by a grant from the Cabot Foundation.
Cabot's Sustainability Goals
Sustainability is important to us. Through our commitment to operate responsibly, conserve resources and develop innovative performance materials, we will be relentless in our pursuit of solutions to the sustainability challenges of our customers, our communities and our world.
Cabot’s Sustainability Goals look at sustainability through three lens – customers, communities and the planet.
For more information see the "Our Sustainability Commitment" video.
What Is Carbon Black?
Cabot Sarnia is a facility
that manufactures carbon black. The use of carbon black dates back to prehistoric times including cave wall dwellings and objects from ancient Egypt.
Carbon black for rubber reinforcement was discovered in England in the early 1900s. It is currently one of the top 50 industrial chemicals and is used in tire rubber, plastics, inks, toners etc. The use of carbon black extends the life of rubber products and reduces our use of natural resources. Cabot is an important player in the circular economy helping industries reduce their waste and their impact on the environment.
Our Sarnia facility is able to use waste products from our industrial neighbours as input to our carbon black manufacturing process.
IMPROVEMENTS AT THE SARNIA FACILITY
Cabot will be making improvements to its Sarnia facility to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and greenhouse gases. Both SO2 and greenhouse gases are by-products of processes that refine carbon material. These gases are emitted from various industries including, petroleum refineries, cement manufacturing and carbon black manufacturing.
In 2023, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change will be phasing in new SO2 air quality criteria to further improve air quality. Cabot is working on implementing its Sustainability Goals which includes targets for reducing these emissions in addition to complying with the new SO2 criteria.
Improvements at the Sarnia facility will specifically address the company’s Sustainability Goals related to:
- Engaging with and contributing to the local community
- Reducing emissions (i.e. greenhouse gas, SO2)
- Reducing water and energy use and eliminating manufacturing waste
- Being environmentally compliant at our facilities
- Investing in capital and technology projects that support our sustainable goals
Responsible Care®
Proud member of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada's Responsible Care® Commitment.
Learn moreWorking with the Sarnia Community
Over the coming months Cabot will be meeting with the Sarnia community and providing more information on our plans for improvements to do our part to reduce our environmental footprint and improve local air quality.
If you have questions please contact:
Braam Pretorius, Facility General Manager
Cabot Canada Ltd.
800 Tashmoo Avenue
Sarnia, Ontario
N7T 7N4
braam.pretorius@cabotcorp.com
PHONE: +1 519 336 2261
