Inside the Cellulopack factory in castelsarrasin, the loud machinery necessitates earplugs for the employees.

The heat from the production lines, even in September, highlights the company’s constant activity in producing ecological packaging for the school year.

While seemingly removed from the school surroundings, Cellulopack supplies food trays to numerous canteens across France. The factory ramps up production each September, a trend amplified as the start of 2025.

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“Many communities require alternatives”

“The demand is strong,” says Cellulopack’s Olivier Mas, amidst the bustling production lines.this surge is largely due to the January 1, 2025 law prohibiting plastic trays in school catering.

Mas continues, “Many communities require alternatives to plastic packaging. It is indeed a product that we have been doing as the start of the business.”

Cellulopack began its ecological packaging journey in Castelsarrasin in 2013, becoming a regional innovator. The company expanded in 2023 with a second site in campsas.

Besides school trays, Cellulopack produces cup holders, cardboard wine displays, and lawyer trays, targeting a €4 million turnover in 2025.

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75,000 trays per day

The business manager explains the manufacturing process. Recycled cardboard is mixed with water and subjected to high temperatures, drying in about thirty seconds to form ready-to-use packaging.

Cellulopack produces up to 75,000 school food trays daily, in small and large sizes, operating in 3×8 shifts.

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Olivier Mas pauses to explain the economic context: “We make food trays throughout the year, but it’s quieter in July and August before the back-to-school rush.”