The world’s leading luxury drinks maker has just announced that it is upgrading one of its ovens in a historic district in northern France, replacing it with a new hybrid oxy-gas technology. The project is part of a larger global plan to reduce carbon emissions and innovate. We caught up with Thomas Rioux, CEO of Verescence.
Premium Beauty News – Can you tell us more about the hybrid oven project at the main plant in Mers-les-Bains on the English Channel coast?
Thomas Rioux: The conversion of Furnace No. 6 in mid-2026 is a key element of our global carbon reduction strategy. It is part of a structured and ambitious plan to reduce our emissions in scopes 1, 2 and 3, targets confirmed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The new furnace will use a combination of oxygen and electricity, which will allow us to replace up to 80% of fossil fuels with electricity. This system will significantly reduce our carbon emissions while maintaining the high quality of our glass products. Between 2019 and 2029, we plan to reduce our emissions in France by 70% in scopes 1 and 2.
Premium Beauty News – What are the key elements of your decarbonization roadmap?
Thomas Rioux: The global decarbonization plan covers all our sites worldwide, as well as our entire ecosystem. It involves continuously reducing energy consumption and emissions through effective measurement systems, as well as deep changes in our production methods.
A significant part of this plan is based on a large-scale investment program to electrify all our processes: furnaces, feeders, annealing lehrs and decorating lines. This includes additional investments of more than 100 million euros over the next ten years.
Reducing the scope 3 has become an important part of our strategy: we also actively collaborate with our suppliers, most of whom are small, medium and micro enterprises. They are ready to work with us on this transformation process. Moreover, we organize annual meetings to share initiatives, provide tools and help us make progress.
And, of course, we work with our customers to jointly develop new tools and solutions to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging.
Premium Beauty News: How are rising energy prices affecting your industry?
Thomas Rioux: Energy costs represent almost 10% of the total cost of a bottle, making them a key factor and a subject of constant attention. In recent years, we have experienced significant impacts from energy price volatility, which has had a significant impact on us. Thanks to the hedging systems we implemented early on and the reduction in consumption, we have been able to partially offset this increase. However, we have not been able to avoid its impact on our selling prices.
Despite the stabilization of energy markets, prices are still significantly above historical averages, so we need to continue to improve our operating performance to remain competitive.
Europe and Asia are particularly affected by high energy dependence. In addition, in France, the government abolished the ARENH system, which provided preferential prices for electricity, starting January 1, 2026. Only in the United States are electricity prices still very competitive.
Premium Beauty News – You have seven manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia, and the US. Does Verescence's global presence help it respond more effectively to rising global tensions?
Thomas Rioux – For over 30 years, we have focused on short supply chains and ecosystems built around our manufacturing sites. Our factories are located close to our customers, and around them we create a network of highly efficient suppliers.
Over 97% of our procurement is local, ensuring sustainability, flexibility and competitiveness while reducing our environmental impact.
In addition, there are economic and financial benefits for both Verescence and our customers: no currency risk, no exposure to transport price volatility, easier tracking, and no tariff impact.
The pandemic has exposed the limitations of long supply chains, and recent geopolitical tensions have confirmed the relevance of our regionalization strategy.
Premium Beauty News – What are the main priorities of your innovation strategy?
Thomas Rioux: Our innovation strategy is based on five key principles: reduce, reuse, recycle, replace and destroy. We aim to completely rethink our approaches while maintaining the high standards inherent in the luxury world.
By the end of 2025, 100% of our glass products worldwide will be made from external cullet derived from post-consumer recycled glass (PCG). This will enable us to reduce raw material and energy consumption as well as CO2 emissions.
I am also convinced of the potential of mono-material packaging, as it eliminates accessories such as signs and labels. Thanks to innovative technologies