Several years in the making, the project is now set to come to fruition. Groupe Pochet, a specialist in multi-material packaging for the beauty and fragrance industries, is partnering with Chanel Parfums Beauté to integrate a fully recycled, French-made magnet into the primary packaging of one of the luxury brand’s products — an innovation they describe as a first in the perfume industry.
Carbon footprint reduction
The project builds on the patented technology developed by MagREEsource, a spin-off of the CNRS founded in 2020. The company manufactures high-performance magnets in France, near Grenoble, using 100% recycled materials recovered from dismantled industrial and energy equipment.
According to a comparative life cycle analysis conducted by MagREEsource, recycling reduces the carbon footprint by 91% compared to a similar magnet produced from virgin material.
Though often invisible, magnets are widely used in luxury packaging—particularly in perfume bottle caps — where they enhance perceived quality. Given the strategic importance of these components, and the growing need to reduce the carbon footprint of packaging, Pochet engaged with MagREEsource early on and acquired a stake in the company last year.
French supply chain
Beyond its environmental benefits, the project also enables the relocation to France of production that was previously concentrated almost entirely in Asia, particularly in China. For Chanel and Pochet, it offers greater control over sourcing and supply chains.
“MagREEsource’s ambition is to address the resilience and decarbonization challenges facing Europe’s high-performance magnet industry. Our collaboration with Groupe Pochet and Chanel Parfums Beauté — built over several years — has been instrumental in helping us develop and structure a robust manufacturing sector. With the upcoming construction of our new production site, we will continue to scale up (…). Our goal is to become Europe’s leading producer of magnets,” explains Érick Petit, President and Founder of MagREEsource.
“We are proud of this collaboration, which perfectly aligns with our approach of offering increasingly sustainable and meaningful innovations to our clients,” emphasizes Alexis Gosset, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Groupe Pochet.
“At Chanel Parfums Beauté, we are committed and convinced that it is essential to support and scale up a pioneering technology of this caliber,” adds Julien Garry, Director of Operations for Chanel Parfums Beauté.
