Cristal Union, a model which works, a model for the future.
Since the end of quotas, Cristal Union has been evolving in a volatile market which now has serious climate and health constraints.
For some years now, our cooperative group has understood that its only way to grow is to transform its model into one which rewards its members at an attractive price: lower its structural costs for agriculture and industrial production in order to withstand market volatility and strengthen its industrial facilities to increase its competitiveness and agility.
This has been Cristal Union’s strategy since 2017 and this strategy is bearing fruit.
Cristal Union relies on flexible and agile industrial facilities, the result of a sustained and steady investment policy, and on a real ability to profit from new market opportunities.
Its industrial agility was demonstrated through its ability to pivot its production towards the production of alcohol for hydroalcoholic gels in March 2020.
Now the European leader in this market, Cristal Union is also the leader in the French industrial sugar market.
The Group repositioned its commercial activity to cover the entire European market and is now present right across the continent with a market share of nearly 10%. Cristal Union has also been bolstered by gains in the food sugar sector, with the launch in 2020 of a unique new range packaged in recyclable kraft paper for its Daddy brand, which has been a real commercial success.
Cristal Union is continuing its investment program in order to position itself as a leader in decarbonization with a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030, providing a saving of 265,000 tonnes of CO2. In order to achieve this target, Cristal Union is investing massively in its sites.
Despite the difficult situation (in terms of health and agriculture), our results have only continued to grow. A formidable lever for seizing future opportunities and paying the farmers in our cooperative more so that they produce even more sugar beets.
Xavier Astolfi Assistant General Manager
Optimizing our industrial facilities has meant we can demonstrate the required flexibility and agility to adapt to the agricultural and health context. Commercially, we have been able to adapt to market constraints and meet new customer expectations. All of this validates our sustained and steady investment policy, which has also meant we could significantly improve our energy and environmental performance.
The Covid-19 crisis has fully demonstrated that French agriculture and industry occupy an essential place in our lives, and the agri-food sector is strategic for our country.
Xavier Astolfi Assistant General Manager
