On March 26, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Economic Recovery, in charge of Industry, brought together representatives of the cosmetics industry to launch a partnership action plan to promote competitiveness, innovation, the ecological transition and "Made in France".
By meeting in "Estates General" last October, and submitting to the public authorities "the 30 measures for a sustainable, winning recovery "The French perfume and cosmetics industry, united behind the Pôle de Compétitivité " Cosmetic Valley "and their trade federation, FEBEA, wanted their industry to be more visible, more heard and more considered, given its importance to the national economy and its position as a world leader.
As a precursor to this collective approach, the sector's main contractors, at the initiative of Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Economic Recovery, in charge of Industry, and after discussions with their suppliers, adopted a " declaration of solidarity by the cosmetics industry with companies in the glass sector ". It underlines the synergies that must unite an entire value chain based entirely in France, from formulation to production, distribution and export.
The Minister responded to this mobilization by announcing, during a visit to several companies in the sector, near Chartres, in Eure-et-Loir (28), on January 7, 2021, that she would shortly be bringing together industry representatives.
An initial meeting was held on Friday March 26, by videoconference, under the aegis of the Minister and in the presence of representatives of the industry (SMEs, ETIs, major groups, prime contractors, suppliers, federations). The aim of the meeting was to establish a shared understanding of the industry's strategic challenges, and to identify the structuring projects required to meet them. The health crisis and its economic consequences have exacerbated the main challenges facing the perfume and cosmetics industry (environmental transition, digital transformation and competitiveness). Participants discussed a number of avenues to promote innovation and competitiveness in the industry, environmental protection and consumer safety, and the solidarity of their ecosystem.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher also announced a number of structuring projects: the launch of a mission to evaluate the investments required for the industry's ecological transition, the creation of a gas pedal dedicated to the digitalization of industry suppliers, operated by Bpifrance, and the Maison internationale de la cosmétique, due to open in Chartres in 2024.
Participants in the industry committee agreed to adopt a roadmap for implementing these priorities by the summer, and a first progress report will be made at the "Cosmetics Industry Summit" on October 13 and 14 in Paris.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher declared: "Perfumery and cosmetics is a major industry in France, and one of our economy's main export spearheads. I am delighted with this first meeting of industry representatives, which has enabled us to collectively identify the challenges facing the industry in terms of competitiveness, environmental and digital transitions, and to set the priorities to be pursued by the industry in cooperation with the French government".
Patrick O'Quin, President of the Fédération des Entreprises de Beauté, added This meeting establishes the cosmetics industry as a strategic player in economic, social and innovation terms. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to affirm the shared determination of all the participants to give ourselves the means to be part of the ecological transition in order to continue the growth of our industry and keep it at the top of the world rankings".
Marc-Antoine Jamet, President of the competitiveness cluster Cosmetic Valleysaid : "The creation of this committee is a great success for the entire French cosmetics industry, which has been calling for it for a long time. It demonstrates both the State's recognition of the strategic importance of our sector for employment, for our country's growth and for France's international presence, and the need to amplify the major ecological and digital changes it has initiated. Finally, I hope that it will encourage everyone to be even prouder and more aware of the assets that France's large, innovative and high-performance industry, the world leader in its sector, represents for the country".
