28 January/February 2012
Paprec
a French flagship
with a solid future
In only 18 years, Paprec has become a dominant player in the French
recycling market. Guided by the Petithuguenin family, the conglomerate
is now the country’s largest independent recycler; and in contrast to
many other French family firms, it is shifting its focus from the
domestic to the international market.
On a rainy early evening in Paris, the streets around Boulevard Haussmann -a walking
distance from the Champs-Élysées – are crowd-
ed with well-dressed employees of banking
firms and insurance companies. The moment
that the lights are switched off in their beauti-
fully-furnished office buildings, there is a com-
munal rush to catch the Metro home. However,
the day has not ended for the people of Paprec.
This major recycling company is pursuing an
ambitious expansion strategy – through a com-
bination of organic growth, taking over region-
al competitors and creating new ventures. On a
world scale, Paprec may be less well-known than
its competitors Veolia and Suez Environnement,
but the French number three in recycling com-
pany terms is not anxious to get over the bound-
aries, both geographical and philosophical.
The most remarkable points to make about the
company are its diversification strategy and its
annual results. Analysts who like to look at
financial charts would definitely appreciate
C O M P A N Y P R O F I L E By Gert Van der Have
p2 _Co p n ro i e pre .indd 2 1 -01-12 13:
