Cenpa Enters Liquidation After Failed Search for Buyer

Alsatian paper manufacturer Cenpa is set to cease operations after the Strasbourg Commercial Court ordered the company's liquidation on June 3, bringing an end to a court-supervised reorganization process that began in December 2024.

The decision follows an observation period that had been extended from January to June 2026 in an effort to find a buyer and secure the future of the business. According to the ruling, the search for a purchaser was unsuccessful.

Production of tubes and cores made from recycled paper and cardboard will stop on June 14. Prior to the liquidation, the company had undergone a job protection plan that resulted in the shutdown of one of its two paper machines and a strategic refocus on hygiene-related products. The site employed 50 people.

Cenpa had sought to adapt its business through product innovation, including the manufacture of Aquatube for Essity. The toilet paper tube is designed to dissolve rapidly in water, a feature that distinguished it within the hygiene sector. However, the product was not sufficient to secure the company's long-term viability.

The Schweighouse-sur-Moder paper mill has changed ownership several times over the years. Formerly owned by La Rochette and later Sonoco, the site was acquired by Mutarès in 2016 before being sold to Accursia Capital in 2021.

The industrial site's history dates back to 1793, when it operated as a dye works. Paper production began there in 1893, and the Central Paper Mills Association (Cenpa) was established in 1929.