Pierre-Jean LEDUC: internationalize, innovate, inves
A strategic vision for French industry
During the debate entitled "Reindustrialization: a matter of survival? " on August 28, 2025, organized as part of La REF 2025, Pierre-Jean LEDUC, president of Polyvia and DEMGY, delivered an uncompromising analysis of the structural challenges facing French industry. He supplemented his remarks during an interview on Radio LaREF, clarifying Polyvia's position on persistent deindustrialization.
His message is aimed directly at manufacturers: it is urgent that they take control of their strategic future. This involves moving upmarket, actively pursuing internationalization, and making targeted investments in innovation and training.
What is REF?
The REF (Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France) is an annual event organized by MEDEF. It brings together business leaders, policy makers, and economic and industrial experts to discuss major issues relating to competitiveness, sovereignty, and transition. A veritable laboratory of ideas, the REF has become an essential forum for debating the strategic directions of the French and European economies.
Plastics manufacturing: a sector of excellence under threat
The French plastics and composites industry represents €76 billion in annual revenue, driven by 4,000 companies and more than 211,000 employees. It supplies strategic sectors such as aeronautics, automotive, medical, and renewable energy. However, it is vulnerable: since 2021, Europe has become a net importer of plastic products, and recycled plastic production fell in 2024.
A platform to refocus the debate
In an opinion piece published in La Tribune, Polyvia warns against the excesses of a public debate that is too often polarized around the blanket rejection of plastic. The organization points out that plastic is a strategic material for the ecological transition, particularly in vehicle weight reduction, building insulation, and medical devices. The real challenge is not to eliminate plastic, but to structure a circular, competitive, and innovative industry. Polyvia calls for a coherent industrial policy based on innovation, sovereignty, and the valorization of recycled materials.
The call for a European industrial strategy
Polyvia is calling on the European Union to develop an action plan dedicated to plastics, similar to those implemented for the chemical and automotive industries. In France, a decree introducing a bonus for the integration of recycled plastic is ready, but its publication is urgently needed to support the competitiveness of local businesses.
Internationalization: a strategic necessity
According to Pierre-Jean LEDUC, 90% of plastics companies are tier 2 or 3 subcontractors, dependent on international contractors. The latter invest where competitiveness is strong and where the industry is valued. If France does not define a credible industrial strategy, companies must follow their customers abroad and explore new markets.
Internationalization should not be seen as a constraint, but as an opportunity. It allows manufacturers to position themselves closer to their customers' production sites, while promoting their French expertise on a global scale.
Investing in innovation and training
To remain competitive, SMEs and mid-cap companies must invest in innovation, R&D, and training in France. But at the same time, they must consider Europe and even the world as their playing field. This is the only way to meet the needs of global markets and steer their strategy from France, following the example of Germany's Mittelstand.
About Polyvia
Polyvia is the professional organization representing the plastics and composites industry in France. It supports companies in their industrial, technological, and strategic development. Polyvia works to strengthen the competitiveness of the industry, promote innovation, and support training through structures such as ISPA and the IPC technical center. Polyvia actively contributes to structuring a French industry focused on the future.
Find out more: https://www.polyvia.fr
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