RDM completes closure of Blendecques board mill in France

The site, which houses a cartonboard machine with a capacity of up to 140,000 tons per year of coated and uncoated folding boxboard based on recycled paper, last employed more than 170 people.

The Blendecques mill has been struggling with various problems over the past year or two. RDM had already announced its plans to close the site last March. In March 2022, there was a major fire that resulted in a ten-month interruption to operations. Between November 2023 and January 2024, the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais was hit by a series of severe floods, which led to further shutdowns at the Blendecques mill. The board mill only ran at reduced capacity from January 2024.