Friday Finance

Please note: February 12 is a THURSDAY! How has PAPREC, pioneer and leader in recycling, built its business model? What are the different outlets for its activities: waste sorting, recovery, processing? More generally, what is the vision of PAPREC's managers for better reconciling business and sustainable development in our societies? What technological innovations or regulatory changes would enable the emergence of an economy less dependent on exhaustible resources? Is a recycling economy possible? Finally, 6 months ago, many people were talking about the spectre of resource shortages, particularly energy shortages, and making sustainable development a key concern. Could the current global recession reverse this trend? What are the risks for the sector, and for environmentally-oriented businesses in general, in the face of collapsing raw material and energy prices? Are diversification strategies possible to reduce the risks associated with economic cycles? Can the sustainable development craze withstand a prolonged recession? By taking over an SME in 1995, Jean Luc Petithuguenin, Chairman and Founder, made PAPREC France's leading independent recycling group, with the central logic of saving the planet's resources, i.e. "adding value". The company achieved sales of 350 million euros in 2008, has posted average annual growth of 30% since its creation, and is now expanding internationally. Sébastien Petithuguenin (ENSAE 2001), is Managing Director of the plastic recycling division.