Saint-Gaudens pulp mill wins reprieve, 270 jobs in the balance

Unlike its sister mill in Tarascon, which was liquidated on 27 July 2026, the Saint-Gaudens pulp mill won a reprieve. The public prosecutor had also applied for liquidation, but the Toulouse commercial court granted a short deadline for an initially anonymous industrialist — reported to be a manufacturer of wood-based insulation, who filed a letter of intent on the eve of the hearing — to lodge a 2 million euro deposit and submit a takeover project within one month. The roughly 270 employees were to be told the outcome on the morning of Thursday 30 July 2026; sources put the site's headcount at between 270 and 400. UPDATE (30 July 2026): The Toulouse commercial court granted Alsatian building materials group Soprema (around €5.2 bn in revenue) a further four weeks, until 24 August 2026, to submit a consolidated takeover offer. Soprema intends to convert the site to cellulose-based insulation materials and holds out the prospect of some 50 additional jobs. The offer is due to be examined on 8 September 2026; if it fails, liquidation looms on 15 September 2026. Update (15 September 2026): On 15 September 2026 the Toulouse commercial court followed the public prosecutor and approved the temporary continuation of operations for three months; takeover bids must be filed by 22 October 2026. The prospective buyers are Soprema (backed by the Occitanie region) and a Portuguese paper maker; the roughly 270 jobs are preserved for now (ToulÉco, 15 September 2026).