It will be “the greenest glass in the world” and the umpteenth reinvention for a brand as iconic as Duralex. Cédric Meston has become the new owner of the very popular French brand with the promise of reviving a product that, from being in every home, has become almost just a memory of a happy past, surpassed by cheaper or more innovative competitors. Meston saves a firm that was once again in bankruptcy and promises to rise to the challenge, with a business plan that involves converting the Duralex gas furnace to 100% electric technology between now and 2029 and ending the factory's CO2 emissions.
The bet is risky but it has complete logic. Because in this case the decarbonization of the company does not only have to do with the sustainability of the planet. In the midst of an upward race in energy prices, gas consumption now accounts for 20% of Duralex's turnover. For Meston it is, therefore, “one of the priorities.”
At just 32 years old, Meston is an entrepreneur known in France as co-founder of the plant-based meat substitute startup Happy Vore and previously worked as a consultant at McKinsey. Two years ago he left the startup to specialize in the acquisition of companies in difficulty and made headlines with the purchase of Tupperware France, another icon, in 2025. He later took over the reconditioned tire company Black Star, in Béthune (northern France), which he renamed Leonard. Both were in losses; They are now expected to earn €4 million by the end of this financial year.
A profile with little industrial background that is worrying in La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin (on the outskirts of Orléans), the company's historic headquarters, but which has convinced the judicial establishment. The commercial court of Orléans validated the Meston project, which promised to save more jobs, 155 of the current 220 jobs, against other offers, as the best industrial and social proposal. Meston has committed to not making layoffs for economic reasons in the next two years, and to prioritize employees who are no longer with the company in case there are new hires.
The project is based on an investment plan of 16 million euros, 10 of which were contributed by a private consortium that includes Tomé, the Meston company, and NJJ Capital, the holding company of billionaire Xavier Niel, owner of the Iliad telecommunications group, the largest shareholder of Vodafone and Westfield and co-owner of the Le Monde newspaper. Solid support for Duralex's new plan, which also has public aid: a credit of 4 million euros from the State and 2 million from the Centre-Val de Loire region and the Orléans Métrople entity for investments related to the energy transition of the factory.
With a history of more than 80 years, the emblematic brand will therefore be able to continue with the production of its well-known unbreakable glass thanks to the tempered glass technique. It has survived five bankruptcy proceedings in the last 20 years, the last in 2020, and is now thinking about reinventing itself: "Duralex has had the same products for 30 years. A brand must live and evolve with consumer expectations," the new owner stressed.
The decision of the Orleans court has also put an end to the Duralex SCOP SA cooperative project, which took over the company after its last fall, in the middle of the Covid pandemic, and in which around 60% of the workers had a stake. Thanks to its popularity, the brand also managed to raise 7 million euros last year contributed by individuals, with 300 euros on average and a maximum of 1,000 euros. Both they and the workers now find it very difficult to recover their investment, despite the fact that Meston has committed to seeking “a fair and equitable solution.” In parallel, the Orléans prosecutor's office has opened a criminal investigation without the reasons being yet known. But last spring, shortly before the company went into bankruptcy, the sudden dismissals of the then general director, François Marciano, and his son Antoine, financial director, already set off alarm bells. A financial audit revealed the critical situation of the treasury and management errors, although in principle there are no signs of embezzlement.
