Kaolins de Bretagne celebrates 120 year anniversary and opens a new chapter in its history
Imerys Kaolins de Bretagne in southwest Brittany hosted an open day to commemorate its 120th anniversary, bringing together the general public, site employees and their families, customers, representatives of local associations, local elected officials and other important regional stakeholders. The day also marked another significant milestone for the company's future, since it coincides with the renewal in 2023 of the prefectural order authorizing Imerys to continue its mining activities at Kaolin de Bretagne for a further 28 years.
One of France’s biggest working kaolin mines
Located in Brittany in northwestern France, the Kaolins de Bretagne site at Ploemeur started life in 1904. Imerys acquired the business in 2005. Today, the Ploemeur site has grown to become one of the largest working kaolin mines in France, delivering over 600 customers worldwide. The kaolins produced here are benchmarks for their exceptional whiteness and quality, making them the material of choice for high-end ceramic tile glazes as well as for improving the permeability of tire inner liners - amongst others. The Kaolin de Bretagne site is also Europe’s leading producer of high-quality, very white mica, prized by the cosmetics industry for pressed powders, as well as by the paint and plasterboard industries.
Kaolin de Bretagne in figures
A 360° view of the kaolin mining operation
The open day gave the general public a behind-the-scenes look at the 200-hectare site and an overview of the various stages of kaolin extraction and processing. From strategic vantage points around the quarry, visitors were able to learn more about the action Imerys is taking to preserve water, rehabilitate the land and to mitigate its impact on biodiversity at the site, as well as to learn more about the new extension project. Tours also included the new processing plant, commissioned at the end of 2022, which harnesses cutting-edge technologies - including the installation of one of Europe's largest filter press units - that allow the operation to cut gas consumption by 55% and greenhouse gas emissions by 24% by the end of 2024, whilst improving output by 20%.
The day closed with an impressive Son & Lumières organized by a local company, using the plant and silo walls as backdrop. Attended by over 1,500 people, the light show retraced the history of the site: from the discovery of kaolin in Ploemeur by local engineer Paul François in 1904, through the generations of the men and women who have worked there, to the site's future prospects as a new page in its history is turned.
A further 28 years in activity
In addition to commemorating the 120-year historic milestone, the celebration saw the opening of a new chapter in the site’s history, in the form of the renewal, in 2023, of Imerys' mining license at Ploemeur for a further 28 years - including three years for site rehabilitation - which will enable the company to exploit newly found ore reserves located under the former processing plant. The path to obtaining the license extension came at the end of a procedure which lasted almost ten years, and is the result of Imerys’ good track record and open and constructive dialogue with local stakeholders involved in the process.
A future firmly rooted in the local economy
Employing 80 people and generating around 200 indirect jobs, Kaolin de Bretagne is deeply embedded in the local economy and landscape. In addition to celebrating the site's century-old industrial heritage, the open day provided an occasion for Imerys to reaffirm its commitment to the community and to the Region for the next three decades, by continuing to invest in projects which guarantee the safety of employees, respect for the environment and the quality of the products produced on the site. It consolidated the solid foundations on which Imerys is building its future, based on constructive cooperation with all its partners, and an ambition for excellence vis-à-vis all its stakeholders.
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