Pochet Group: Anticipating Energy and Environmental Challenges and Embracing Artificial Intelligence!
The Pochet Group, a French family-owned business founded in 1623, faces many challenges at the start of 2026. The company showcases its expertise in multi-material products by combining its know-how in glass, plastic, decorative finishes, and beauty accessories. Last year, the Group generated revenue of 450 million euros with a workforce of nearly 3,000 employees and operates eight factories in France and one in China (three glass bottle production plants, three plastic processing sites, two “metal” sites—one in France and the other in China—and a site specializing in decor in France, Solev).
For Xavier Gagey, Chairman of the Executive Board, “there is no doubt that this family-owned heritage spanning nine generations is an asset that enables us to pursue a long-term strategy.” For this Group, which generates over 90% of its business outside France, there is no shortage of current and future economic, energy, and environmental challenges. “To tackle them,” he emphasizes, “in addition to the industrial and commercial strategies we’re implementing, the Group is opening up to the outside world and working closely in partnership with its ecosystem!” Here’s why.
Anticipate! A key word for Pochet’s CEO, who explains that as early as 2018, a strategy for purchasing raw materials and energy was put in place—a strategy that has proven very useful at the start of this turbulent year 2026. “Today, we’re buying energy for 2030! This allows us to smooth out costs, whether they go up or down.” This forward-looking strategy is also applied to the industrial level, with investments totaling over 120 million euros over five years, culminating in the launch in February 2025 of France’s first electric furnace dedicated to luxury bottle production.
Electric furnace: the turning point of 2025!
“A furnace, he explains, that represents a major step forward in decarbonization and a technological leap for our teams. Powered by renewable energy, it allows us to drastically reduce our CO2 emissions while guaranteeing glass of unparalleled quality. This innovation is fully in line with our commitment to offering responsible luxury, where environmental performance and industrial excellence come together to shape the beauty of tomorrow.”
This furnace is more energy-efficient than the gas furnaces used in the glassworks, as it consumes half the energy per ton of molten glass. Equipped with three electric firing arches and a gas-electric feeder mix, this furnace has a capacity of 8 megawatts and a volume of over 250 tons of glass—the equivalent of a three-story building. Approximately 70 tons of glass are drawn each day.
It is partially powered by green energy produced by a solar power plant operated by ABO Wind, one of the major players in the renewable energy sector. This plant, which went online in January 2025, represents the largest solar farm deployed by ABO Wind in France.
“With this partner,” explains Xavier Gagey, “we have signed a 20-year power purchase agreement. This long-term partnership secures prices while ensuring a sustainable supply.”
It should be noted that to ensure the proper operation of this furnace, 12,000 hours of internal and external training were required for the technical and Fusion teams in collaboration with the glass manufacturer SGD Pharma, which also uses electric fusion technology for its vials intended for the pharmaceutical industry. The installation project took more than seven months to complete at a cost of nearly €40 million. It required 4,000 tons of concrete, 100 kilometers of cables, 500 tons of structural steel, 10 kilometers of piping, and the involvement of more than 750 people.
The launch of a second furnace of the same type is scheduled for 2033.
“These electrification projects are fully aligned with the Group’s decarbonization strategy,” emphasizes Xavier Gagey, “demonstrating its ability to transform its industrial tools to balance industrial performance with environmental responsibility.”
60% sustainable plastics!
Regarding plastics, the Group affirms its firm commitment to the transition toward “sustainable” plastics for Sustainable Beauty, with the ambition of achieving 60% “sustainable” plastics in its products by 2030, prioritizing recycled, bio-based, or chemically recycled materials. “This transformation,” explains Xavier Gagey, “is driven by our FabLab, a true innovation accelerator for testing and certifying the materials of the future, and by the ISCC+ certification of all our plastics manufacturing sites, ensuring material traceability. In 2024, we reached a key milestone with 10% sustainable plastics integrated into our products, confirming our trajectory toward the 2030 goal. Qualipac brings together our Plastics & Metal operations thanks to its excellent mastery of injection molding, stamping, assembly, and decorative techniques—all complementary areas of expertise that enable it to offer a wide range of products for Fragrance, Skincare, and Makeup (perfume caps, makeup cases, lip glosses, lipsticks, mascaras, skincare jars)… Qualipac is also recognized for the quality of its electroplating and, since 2018, has operated a brand-new production line that meets the highest environmental standards.” The Group, which also possesses complementary expertise in zamak, offers aesthetic caps, decorative accessories, and bottle sets with delicate details.
Artificial Intelligence Driving Performance
First and foremost, AI is at the heart of industrial processes. To optimize production and reduce scrap, Qualipac Aurillac has decided to leverage artificial intelligence applied to its electroplating process. AI enables the analysis of a large number of variables to better understand the origin of defects and identify high-risk combinations. Where the human brain struggles to process such a large amount of data simultaneously, the models developed now make it possible to explain a significant portion of the phenomena observed in the process. This approach contributes to significantly improving production quality, with measurable environmental benefits as well, particularly by reducing energy, water, and material consumption. Artificial intelligence thus reinforces a galvanizing line that is already among the most environmentally sound in Europe, using polypropylene and free of hexavalent chromium.
Regarding generative AI, the Pochet Group has opted for a pragmatic, business-driven approach to deploy generative artificial intelligence within administrative functions. The Group relies on an AI Club composed of experts from all departments, trained to identify and champion concrete use cases as close to the front lines as possible.
“What makes this approach effective is its method of dissemination: rather than centralizing expertise solely within the IT department, the Group relies on an AI Club composed of some thirty employees representing all business lines. These liaisons are trained in AI by our experts and can thus share their knowledge and identify use cases as close to the front lines as possible,” explains Clémentine Serafin, Head of AI Transformation.
“Pochet Participation”
“More than 90% of our business takes place outside of France,” emphasizes Xavier Gagey. “It is therefore truly a global business that is evolving very quickly and requires us to constantly adapt. Developing innovative partnerships helps accelerate the Group’s transformation, which is why we created ‘Pochet Participation’ two years ago.”
The latest example is Sansara, the digital subsidiary of Maison Neyret, which announced the acquisition of AdvancedTrack & Trace (ATT)—a global leader in authentication and traceability solutions for the past twenty years—and its acquisition of a stake in the Pochet Group. “A merger, insists Xavier Gagey, that gives rise to a unique service offering, making the large-scale transition to connected, traceable products—from factory to consumer—a reality: perfume bottles, wine bottles, clothing, bags, watches, luxury accessories…”
Sansara offers a unique solution in the traceability market: creating a fully integrated value chain, from manufacturing to the end consumer, thanks to three key factors:
• Sansara’s digital capabilities and its Scalabel® cloud platform, which connects physical identifiers to product data, brand information systems, and consumer journeys throughout the entire product lifecycle.
• ATT’s technological expertise, driven by its experience in large-scale secure traceability projects and its know-how in authentication/anti-counterfeiting, item tracking, and operational excellence.
• The industrial capabilities of Maison Neyret and the Pochet Group, which—by integrating the serialization tools developed by Sansara—can apply a unique physical marker directly to the product via their production lines, whether it is made of glass, metal, or textile, ensuring it is perfectly integrated into the design. Furthermore, all manufacturers, including competitors, can serialize their production lines thanks to Sansara’s expertise and technologies, including the Scalabel® cloud platform, which is open to all and interoperable. Large-scale deployment of connected products to serve brands: A perfume bottle authenticated with a simple scan, clothing that traces the origin of its raw materials, primary and secondary packaging linked to a digital passport.
For brands, the offering addresses three major categories of needs:
• Authentication and protection: combating counterfeiting, controlling the gray market, blockchain-based ownership certificates.
• Digital Product Passport (DPP): regulatory compliance, full traceability, and the circular economy.
• Enhanced consumer experience: post-sales and after-sales marketing, customer loyalty, digital instructions, direct connection with customers, and product reuse.
It also fosters collaboration with competitors through the BRI&Va partnership, in which Tesem, G. Pivaudran, and the Pochet Group have joined forces to develop a new technology that enables products made from post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminum to achieve a luster comparable to that of virgin aluminum. Thanks to this technology, products containing aluminum made up of up to 50% PCR can meet the highest visual and tactile standards in the luxury packaging market.
“Through these initiatives,” concludes Xavier Gagey, “Pochet Participations is tangibly demonstrating the Group’s commitment to embracing new ecosystems to accelerate its growth and strengthen its capacity for innovation.”
