This industry owes much of its success to the abundant forestry resource and contributes strongly to the economic activity of the Bas-Saint-Laurent. Three companies in the region, FF SOUCY of Rivière-du-Loup, CARTONS SAINT-LAURENT in Matane and NORAMPAC (CASCADES), employ approximately 650 people.These companies, all of which have highly specialized workforces, are investing considerable resources to improve their production methods by reducing the amount of toxic waste generated. FF SOUCY, for example, has recently developed a revolutionary process which uses a completely organic substance to eliminate the sludge left behind from evaporated liquid waste.