Sailly-sur-la-Lys will return to its flax spinning mill in 2022. Safilin, a company born under the old regime, will reinvest its industrial cradle to set up a unit of 100% French flax yarn over 6,000 m2, which will consolidate its Polish factories where the family group had withdrawn at the worst of the textile crisis in 1995. Safilin now has 480 of its 500 employees, for a turnover of 30 million euros. The very last kilos of flax yarn were produced in Pas-de-Calais in 2005.
Most of the world’s flax production takes place between Caen and Amsterdam
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Why come back to France? French textile companies are calling for it, to meet growing demand from end consumers for natural and local products, of high quality, fully traceable. “There is a paradigm shift in consumer expectations on environmental and social impact,” explains Olivier Guillaume, president of Safilin. However, France had lost all its flax mills, which had left for the most part in China, even if Safilin had preferred to stay in Europe, near the supply area: most of the world flax production is carried out between Caen and Amsterdam.
Prospects in Japan
This choice of Poland is now proving to be invaluable in transferring know-how that has disappeared to France. Polish employees will come to reseed French expertise. “This is the key point”, emphasizes Olivier Guillaume, who announces a long break-in period to only market a product with a high level of requirement.
The spinning mill will have 14 spinning looms, including twelve in the wet, two in the dry, the main flax technologies, at the cost of an investment of 5 million euros. France Relance provides 800,000 euros, which should be supplemented by local communities. The project should generate 50 jobs by 2024.
Production capacities will remain limited to 350 tonnes per year, compared to the 4,500 tonnes produced in Poland today. But the 100% French linen market will not be reserved only for France. The president of Safilin already indicates that he has promising contacts in Japan as well as discussions with a “French textile group” present at large import and who wants to reclaim local supplies. The return to favor of 100% French production has already prompted the launch of a small flax mill at Velcorex, in Alsace, while the Natup cooperative is also considering a similar project.
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