Question 6801 — industry

Summary

Mr. Manuel Bompard draws the attention of the Minister to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, responsible for industry and energy, to the closure of the Vergèze glassworks in Gard, announced on April 9, 2025. Founded in 1973, it has been the property since 2011 of the American company Owens-Illinois, which decided on this closure as part of a vast plan of deletions of jobs across the country (between 556 and 316 job cuts in total, or at least 15% of the 2,200 French workforce, including 164 in Vergèze). The Vergèze glassworks is at the forefront of French industry: it is the only one capable of manufacturing the famous Perrier glass bottle, the source of which is adjacent to the glassworks and which represents 75% of its production. She was able to adapt many times, for example by modifying its process to make a solid bottle despite the required reduction in glass, or even by using a particularly energy-efficient oven. The closure would be all the more absurd given that the glassworks is economically profitable (7% profit in 2024) and that it would require hundreds of trucks to transport Perrier bottles from the north of France. This would also put 164 employees on the job. tile (250 including subcontractors). This would be all the more aberrant since it was observed on site that strategic investments could strengthen and increase the relevance of this industrial tool with the objective of reindustrialization of France: periodic renovation of the oven (between 20 and 60 million euros for 15 years), relaunch of the second oven to relocate the production of wine bottles, creation of a heat network or production of electricity from the heat of the ovens... Employees are asking for time to allow potential buyers to assess the situation and develop a buyout plan. He asks him if he will put all the chances on their side by ensuring that the requested deadline is granted to them, or even by temporarily nationalizing the glassware if that were necessary, while they find a buyer.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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