History of extrusion activity in Haute-Loire
The Haute-Loire is a region with rural traditions in which industrial activities have developed in sectors such as textiles, metals processing, food production and, more recently, plastics.
In the 20th century the textiles crisis in the region would encourage a long period of industrial transformation. Indeed, it was the middle of the 1950s which saw the start of polyethylene extrusion, i.e. plastics manufacture for films and bags, in the Sigolénois Basin, a semi-mountainous area in the east of the département of the Haute-Loire, 30 minutes from Saint-Etienne.
History relates that it was an engineer from Rhônes-Poulenc, on holiday in Sainte-Sigolène, who suggested to a local businessman that he consider producing polyethylene. Since then the plastics manufacturing industry has been replacing the older activities of weaving and soft furnishings of the so-called 'boudineuses' and has seen rapid expansion in Haute-Loire - today it supplies 35% of the nation's production of plastic films (polyethylene extrusion). This region is also the number-two region nationally for plastics manufacture in terms of concentrating businesses in a single area.
However, this change - which has been a spectacular success - is still relatively unknown outside professional circles. Is it known for example that the Sigolénois (district encompassing no more than 5 or 6 towns) is now the main French centre of soft extrusion just as the Plastic Valley d'Oyonnax is the centre of plastic injection?
