the French sector in distress

A mask factory closed near Angers, in Maine-et-Loire, another in Île-de-France forced to diversify. At a manufacturer in the East, around twenty employees were laid off. More than two years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the French mask industry is in difficulty. In Brittany, a company was placed in compulsory liquidation. “Nobody played the game. The State continues to supply itself in China, nobody buys French“, regrets an employee.

The plant had to face competition from Asia. A Chinese mask costs twice as much. The company deplores a lack of state support. However, at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, Emmanuel Macron called on manufacturers to start manufacturing masks. “Produce more on national soil to reduce our dependence and therefore equip ourselves over the long term“, declared the President, on March 31, 2020. According to French manufacturers, more than 90% of masks are now imported.