Aptas Group

What Aptas Group does

Groupe Aptas is a private social economy enterprise (entreprise adaptée) headquartered in Sainte-Marie, Quebec, operating three divisions under one administrative umbrella since 2017. Cartonek manufactures custom corrugated cardboard boxes and packaging products in small to medium production runs for Quebec manufacturers and industrial buyers; Dexterra provides turnkey industrial subcontracting services including assembly, packaging, labeling, box filling, display preparation, quality control, and inventory management for enterprises with constrained production capacity; and Environek handles end-of-life recovery and recycling of computer and electronic equipment, small domestic and air-conditioning refrigerating appliances, and maple syrup tubing, operating dual plants in Sainte-Marie and Saint-Malachie.

The company monetizes through a mix of one-time product sales (Cartonek), professional services billed per project or under multi-year contracts (Dexterra), and transaction-fee-based recycling (Environek), including a $350/tonne charge for contaminated maple tubing with metal fixtures and free service for clean streams. More than 60% of the workforce consists of people with functional limitations, fulfilling the company's social mission and supported by Quebec's Programme de subvention aux entreprises adaptées. The group operates under ISO 9001:2015 (quality), ISO 14001:2015 (environmental), ISO 45001:2018 (occupational health and safety), and R2v3 (responsible electronics recycling) certifications, and Environek holds exclusive provincial approvals from GoRecycle, ARPE-Québec, and AgriRÉCUP as an official recycler under Quebec's regulated producer responsibility programs.

In 2024, Environek reported recovering 13,156 small refrigerating appliances (avoiding 7,018 tonnes of CO2 equivalent), 762 tonnes of electronic equipment, and 648 tonnes of maple tubing, serving customers and municipalities across all regions of Quebec. Internal operations are supported by a Prextra ERP system for transaction management. The company is governed by a board chaired by M. Vital Labonté, is a member of the Conseil québécois des entreprises adaptées (CQEA), and is independently owned with no private equity, venture capital, or parent company involvement disclosed.

Name

Aptas Group

Legal name

Groupe Aptas

Website

https://groupeaptas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Groupe Aptas is a Quebec social economy enterprise operating three divisions — Cartonek (corrugated cardboard manufacturing), Dexterra (industrial handling subcontracting), and Environek (electronics, appliance, and maple tubing recycling) — serving manufacturers, municipalities, and businesses across Quebec while employing over 60% people with functional limitations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Manufacturing and Recycling Services

NAICS

Packaging and Labeling Services (56191), Business Support Services (5614)

SIC

Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

Keywords

• Corrugated cardboard manufacturing
• Electronics recycling services
• Industrial handling subcontracting
• Appliance recycling services
• Social economy enterprise

Headquarters

HQ city

Sainte-marie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cartonek - Corrugated Cardboard Products: Manufactures and sells corrugated cardboard boxes and custom cardboard products to businesses in Quebec. Revenue generated from product sales with delivery service included.
2. Dexterra - Handling Subcontracting Services: Provides key-in-hand subcontracting services including assembly, packaging, labeling, box filling, display preparation, quality control, and administrative support. Billed per service/project.
3. Environek - Tubing Recycling: Free collection service for clean maple tubings; charges $350/tonne for contaminated tubings with metal fixtures. Operates under AgriRÉCUP producer responsibility program.
4. Environek - Electronic and Refrigerator Recycling: Free pickup and recycling services for businesses. Operates under GoRecycle and ARPE-Québec producer responsibility programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Groupe Aptas is a Quebec-based social economy enterprise operating through three divisions: Cartonek manufactures corrugated cardboard boxes and custom cardboard products in small to medium quantities; Dexterra provides turnkey manufacturing subcontracting services for manual handling tasks including assembly, packaging, labeling, and box filling; and Environek specializes in the recovery and recycling of end-of-life electronics, small refrigerating appliances, air conditioning units, and maple syrup tubing under certified producer responsibility programs.

Product overview

Groupe Aptas is a social economy enterprise (adapted company) operating under three divisions — Cartonek, Dexterra, and Environek — that together provide a comprehensive offering spanning corrugated cardboard manufacturing, industrial handling subcontracting, and materials recovery and recycling. Cartonek handles the design and fabrication of custom corrugated cardboard products; Dexterra provides manual labor subcontracting services such as packaging, assembly, and labeling; and Environek manages end-of-life material recovery and recycling for electronics, refrigeration appliances, and agricultural plastics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cartonek: Division specializing in the manufacturing of corrugated cardboard boxes and custom cardboard products in small and medium quantities
• Dexterra
• Environek

Products and services

• Cartonek - Corrugated Cardboard Manufacturing Manufactures corrugated cardboard boxes and custom cardboard products in small to medium quantities, offering design, custom drawing/conception, partitions, and assembly services. Serves manufacturing and industrial businesses in Quebec requiring quality cardboard packaging with competitive pricing and quick turnaround.
• Dexterra - Handling Subcontracting Services Provides turnkey manufacturing subcontracting for manual tasks including assembly, packaging, labeling, box filling, display filling, quality control, preparation, shipping, and administrative follow-up and inventory management. Serves enterprises needing to delegate handling tasks such as Nami Fixations.
• Environek - Electronics and IT Equipment Recycling Recovers and recycles end-of-life computer and electronic equipment, including secure data destruction. Operates from Sainte-Marie facility under ARPE-Québec producer responsibility program. Recovered 762 tonnes of electronic equipment in 2024.
• Environek - Refrigerating Appliance Recycling Recovers and recycles small refrigerating appliances and air conditioning units, extracting halocarbon gases before demanufacturing and removing metals, plastics, compressors, and oils for proper recycling. Free pickup service for businesses.
• Environek - Maple Tubing Recycling Processes and granulates used maple syrup tubing for recycling, separating metallocene, MDPE, PVC, and nylon components. Free collection for clean tubing; $350 per metric tonne for tubing with metal fixtures attached. Recovered 648 tonnes in 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,018 tonnes of CO2 equivalent avoided in 2024 through refrigerating appliance recycling
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AgriRÉCUPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023AgriRÉCUP is the management organization recognized by RECYC-QUÉBEC to operate Quebec's producer responsibility program for maple tubings and six other categories of agricultural plastics. Environek processes and granulates tubings in partnership with AgriRÉCUP, recovering 648 tonnes in 2024.
• GoRecyclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoRecycle is the only organization recognized by RECYC-QUÉBEC for responsible recycling of domestic refrigerating and air conditioning appliances. Groupe Aptas is an official approved recycler, extracting halocarbon gases and demanufacturing appliances to prevent 7,018 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions in 2024.
• ARPE-Québec (Association pour le recyclage des produits électroniques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARPE-Québec is mandated by RECYC-Québec to manage Quebec's computer and electronic equipment recycling program. Environek is approved by the Bureau de la qualification des recycleurs of ARPE to recover and recycle obsolete electronic equipment, collecting 762 tonnes in 2024.
• Quebec Municipal Regional Counties (MRC) and MunicipalitiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnvironek collaborates with municipal regional counties, municipalities, and waste management agencies across Quebec that provide collection services for electronic equipment, refrigerating appliances, and maple tubings under producer responsibility programs.
• REESCQ (Regroupement des entreprises d'économie sociale de Chaudière-Appalaches)minorOthersGroupe Aptas is affiliated with REESCQ, the regional grouping of social economy enterprises in Chaudière-Appalaches region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Papiers White Birch: Quebec-based paper and paperboard manufacturer producing newsprint, directory paper, and paperboard products. Relevant comparable for the Cartonek division's paperboard raw material supply and broader paper-products manufacturing context.
• Atlantic Packaging Products: North American corrugated packaging manufacturer with paper and recycling operations. Comparable to Cartonek's corrugated box manufacturing and to the broader paper-recycling chain that connects to Environek's materials recovery activities.
• Cascades: Major Quebec-based manufacturer of packaging products including corrugated cardboard, plus recycling operations. Broad incumbent that competes with Cartonek in corrugated and overlaps with Environek in materials recovery, but at vastly larger scale and across many segments.

Others

• AgriRÉCUP: Quebec producer-responsibility organization for agricultural plastics including maple tubing, launched in 2023. Aptas is a partner recycler under AgriRÉCUP, making this a key program partner that funds the maple tubing recycling stream Environek operates.
• ARPE-Québec: Quebec producer-responsibility organization managing electronics and IT equipment recycling under RECYC-QUÉBEC. Aptas's Environek is an approved recycler under ARPE, making this a regulatory partner and source of fee-funded recycling volume.
• GoRecycle: Quebec producer-responsibility organization recognized by RECYC-QUÉBEC for refrigerating appliance recycling. Aptas is an approved recycler under GoRecycle, so this is the program partner that channels fee-funded volume to Environek — an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Renaissance: Quebec social-economy network of adapted enterprises providing subcontracting, recycling, and document destruction services. Comparable as a peer adapted-enterprise organization serving similar markets and customer types.
• Services Saint-Philippe: Quebec adapted enterprise offering subcontracting, packaging, assembly, and document destruction services. Comparable social-economy model with overlapping service lines to Aptas's Dexterra and Environek divisions.
• Multi Recyclage: Quebec-based recycling firm handling electronics, household hazardous waste, and material recovery. Comparable to Environek's electronics recycling and broader materials recovery operations within Quebec.
• Récupération Solu-Service: Quebec adapted enterprise (entreprise adaptée) providing recycling, sorting, and subcontracting services to people with functional limitations. Directly comparable to Aptas's social-economy business model, CQEA membership, and Quebec-only operating footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GroupeAptas

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aptas Group