Government spokesman Olivier Véran deplored Thursday “the structural problem” which means that France, according to him, is not able to manufacture “in a few months” two million stuffed animals serving as mascots for the Paris Olympics. 2024. “I would love, and we are fighting for that, that in France, we are able to have enough raw materials and textile factories to manufacture two million stuffed animals in a few months, the fact is that ‘today we don’t know how to do it,’ explained the minister on France 2.
Loss of industrial knowledge
“On the other hand, what we know how to do is push French companies that manufacture in China to relocate to France,” he added. “It’s a structural problem linked to the fact that France has lost its factories for years”, he continued, nevertheless considering that “that France has once again become the most attractive country in Europe for several consecutive years ” and “that tomorrow we will be able to produce what we no longer know how to produce today”.
The organizers of the Olympic Games unveiled their mascots on Monday, two Phrygian caps called “Phryges”, red in color, which will arrive this week in the official merchandise store located in the Halles district, in the heart of Paris. These soft toys will be made in China for almost all, “like the vast majority of soft toys sold in France”, had underlined the organizers of the Paris Olympics.
“Insult to all French companies”
The contract was awarded to the French companies Gipsy and Doudou et Compagnie. Unlike Gipsy, which manufactures in China, Doudou et Compagnie plans to produce 15% of its quota in its factory in Guerche-de-Bretagne (Ille-et-Vilaine) which will expand for the occasion. In this factory, the upholstery, assembly and sewing will be carried out, but the raw materials and the preparation of the spare parts will come from China.
The employers’ movement Ethic denounced “an insult to all French companies” and an “international and economic slap that we give to ourselves”. “I want to believe that we still have a few months before the Olympics are held to be able to correct the subject,” said Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu on Tuesday.