The Ministry of the Economy's favorite choice for the takeover of the Chapelle Darblay mill from the UPM Group, VKP has finally chosen to invest in Double A Stationery . The Belgian group has officially presented its project on the Alizay site in the Eure region, which belongs to the Thai group Double A, thereby abandoning the Chapelle Darblay project, located near Rouen in the Seine-Maritime region.
"Its withdrawal has been confirmed by Bercy", corroborates Arnaud Dauxerre, a non-label representative of the management college on the Chapelle Darblay social and economic committee (CSE).
"We are very happy for them. Our work, that of the CGT and that of the staff representatives have served a purpose: the projects that are happening at Alizay are no more and no less than those that we have animated during these twenty months with our studies and our network. This has allowed VPK to maintain its interest in the territory, to clarify its project and to commit to a circular economy project."
A bit bitter end, isn't it? "A little bit. But what really counts is the interest of the paper industry in general. And the fate of the Chapelle Darblay mill is not sealed."
"The paper world has very diverse applications. It is not because VPK has positioned itself that nothing is possible. France has a surplus balance in terms of recovered paperboard: there are places for everyone."
And to bring these applications to light, Arnaud Dauxerre and the two other union representatives, who along with the site manager are the last employees of the plant, have taken the initiative to to bring together the other paper industry players in order to draw up a joint project before the end of June .
