Lactips targets green jobs with new plant in Gier Valley

French soluble plastics company Lactips is moving to a new industrial phase with an announcement of a new plant built in the Saint-Paul-en-Jarez in the Gier valley, an area of France famous for its abundant natural resources such as coal and iron.

The project, due to launch in 2021, brings together a number of regional stakeholders, which the company hopes will show their commitment to prioritising innovation and targetting green jobs in France's changing economic market.

Initiated in 2018, the industrial project marks a major turning point for the environmental plastics developer, who will now have a significantly expanded production line with ambitions to serve multiple segments across a vast packaging market.

The site was obtained as part of a €6 million real estate deal which required Lactips to create its own dedicated SCI property development company consisting of teams from Lactips, NOVIM and BPI France.

Saint-Paul-en-Jarez was once a hotbed for French coal production, and Lactips' new plant is built on the bones of a former whipped cream processing plant that was shut shortly before work on this project began, while also adding an extension to the existing structure.

The 12,000 square-mile site will be home to a 2500 square-mile production building and a 1000 square-mile administrative building, with a total floor space of 4200 square miles.

Going into the future, the site will require 30 additional staff with diverse profiles with a potential €30 million needing to be invested over several years, for the company to be able to operate the plant at maximum efficiency when creating non-polluting plastics.

The investments have been made possible through the endeavours of its new SPI funding company.

Discussing the project and its future, Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, Lactips CEO and co-founder, said: "Lactips was founded with a view to proposing a new way of looking at plastic production, with respect for the environment, providing a solution that is aligned with the needs of both industrial firms and consumers. The steps that we have successfully taken since 2014 have led us to this major industrial turning point.

"Through our project to create this plant, we are establishing out natural plastic production, based on milk proteins, at a former whipped cream production site. This loop, which is closing, will give us the capabilities needed to develop our solutions for the food packaging market and will enable us to support regional employment by creating green jobs. Once again, Lactips has united stakeholders from all sides around this programme.

"We are proud to launch this ambitious project and promote our unique know-how around the world."

Back to Homepage

Back to Chemicals & Biochemicals

Back to Packaging