Clairefontaine
Clairefontaine (Papeteries de Clairefontaine) is a French specialty paper manufacturer serving B2B customers including printers, designers, publishers, packaging converters, and office-supply buyers across Europe, operating four production sites in France and the Netherlands with 174,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1858
- HeadquartersÉtival-clairefontaine, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Clairefontaine does
Clairefontaine (legal entity PAPETERIES DE CLAIREFONTAINE) is a French specialty paper manufacturer and a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group, headquartered at 19 Rue de l'Abbaye in Éțival-Clairefontaine, France (SAS structure, registered capital €91.2M). The company produces a broad portfolio of paper grades across 11 categories: office (Bureautique), digital color printing (Laser and HP Indigo-certified), high-speed inkjet in both sheet (Format) and roll (Bobine), wide-format plotter (inkjet and laser), graphic, packaging, label papers (predominantly 100% recycled or alternative fibers), writing and converting, thin papers, envelopes, and recycled ranges. Production is distributed across four sites — Éțival-Clairefontaine, Évergnicourt (Everbal), Mandeure, and Heelsum, Netherlands (Schut Papier) — with combined annual capacity of 174,000 tonnes and €285M of revenue reported at the main Éțival-Clairefontaine site.
The underlying technology is industrial papermaking with full vertical integration from raw-material sourcing through transformation and delivery, supported by triple ISO certification (9001 quality, 14001 environmental, 50001 energy) and a noted technical-invention capability developed over a long operating history. The business is B2B and sales-led: products are sold to printers, designers, publishers, communication agencies, packaging converters, and office/business supply channels, with pricing quote-based under multi-year contracts and not publicly disclosed.
Commercial reach is primarily European. Distribution combines traditional direct B2B sales with two proprietary digital channels — the Exaclair Shop e-commerce storefront and the finition.exaclair.eu customer access portal — and the corporate site is localized in French, English, and German. The main site reports a 47% export share of revenue, confirming international commercial activity, while the Dutch site (Schut Papier) provides the only non-French production footprint. The company does not disclose a founding year in the available source material, and no public listing, external fundraising, M&A, or leadership changes are referenced.
Clairefontaine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Clairefontaine
- Legal name
- PAPETERIES DE CLAIREFONTAINE
- Website
- https://clairefontaine.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1858
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Clairefontaine (Papeteries de Clairefontaine) is a French specialty paper manufacturer serving B2B customers including printers, designers, publishers, packaging converters, and office-supply buyers across Europe, operating four production sites in France and the Netherlands with 174,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Clairefontaine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Paper Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Paper Mills (32212)
- SIC
- Paper Mills (2621)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Newsprint Paper Manufacturing (IMAMAEAB)
Keywords
Where Clairefontaine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Étival-clairefontaine
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Clairefontaine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Paper Products Sales: Clairefontaine generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of specialty paper products including office papers, graphic papers, packaging papers, label papers, writing papers, envelopes, and recycled papers. The company sells directly to businesses and through its Exaclair Shop e-commerce platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B direct sales model |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Clairefontaine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Clairefontaine is a French paper manufacturer (Papeteries de Clairefontaine) producing specialty papers for office, graphic art, digital printing, packaging, and label applications. It operates as part of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group, running four production sites—three in France and one in the Netherlands—with a combined annual capacity of approximately 174,000 tons of paper, supplying substrates to printers, designers, publishers, agencies, and packaging businesses.
Product overview
Clairefontaine is a major paper manufacturer producing a comprehensive portfolio of paper products across 11 major categories. The product range includes Office papers (Bureautique), Digital Color Printing papers (Laser and Indigo for HP Indigo presses), High Speed Inkjet papers (both sheet Format and roll Bobine), Wide Format Plotter papers (Inkjet and Laser), Graphic papers, Packaging papers, Label papers (primarily recycled or alternative fibers), Writing & Converting papers, Thin papers, Envelopes, and Recycled papers. The company operates 4 production sites in France and the Netherlands with a production capacity of 174,000 tonnes per year. Individual named products include specific lines like Multifunctional (laser plotter papers), Everjet (high-speed inkjet papers), and Indigo Original (for HP Indigo presses).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Office specialty papers
Companies that use Clairefontaine
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Clairefontaine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Clairefontaine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Exacompta Clairefontaine GroupcoreClairefontaine (Papeteries de Clairefontaine) is part of the Exacompta Clairefontaine group, which encompasses multiple paper manufacturing and stationery operations. The group provides organizational oversight and likely shared distribution channels and resources.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Clairefontaine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mondi: European integrated paper and packaging group with uncoated graphic, office, and specialty papers (e.g. Mondi Bio+) competing with Clairefontaine in office and graphic segments.
- Fedrigoni: Italian premium/specialty paper producer with strong self-adhesive labels and graphic papers business. Competes with Clairefontaine in label papers and premium graphic substrates for premium converters.
- Stora Enso: Nordic paper and paperboard producer with significant European graphic and packaging paper volumes. Overlaps with Clairefontaine in graphic papers and serves similar converter customers.
- Sappi: Global coated paper specialist serving graphic, packaging, and specialty markets. Competes with Clairefontaine in coated graphic and digital printing papers for European converters.
- UPM: Finnish paper giant with a substantial graphic, office, and specialty paper portfolio (UPM Finesse, UPM Office) plus label materials and biomaterials. Competes with Clairefontaine across multiple specialty paper categories in Europe.
Direct peers
- Heinzel Group: Austrian paper group (Laakirchen, Steyrermühl) producing graphic and recycled papers. Comparable European specialty mill operator with similar customer mix to Clairefontaine.
- Lecta: European specialty paper producer (Torraspapel/Myllykoski) focused on coated and specialty graphic papers for converters and publishers. Direct competitor in Clairefontaine's specialty graphic segment.
- Favini: Italian specialty paper manufacturer focused on graphic, recycled (Shiro), and creative papers. Comparable niche specialty positioning and European converter customer base to Clairefontaine.
- Burgo Group: Italian paper manufacturer producing coated and specialty graphic papers for European converters and publishers. Similar European specialty paper manufacturer profile to Clairefontaine.
- Arctic Paper: European specialty paper group producing uncoated graphic papers (Munken, Arctic) and recycled grades. Closest direct competitor to Clairefontaine in graphic/office specialty papers across European converters.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Clairefontaine social profiles
Digital presenceClairefontaine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Clairefontaine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Clairefontaine subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Clairefontaine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Clairefontaine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Clairefontaine
What does Clairefontaine do?
Clairefontaine is a French paper manufacturer (Papeteries de Clairefontaine) producing specialty papers for office, graphic art, digital printing, packaging, and label applications. It operates as part of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group, running four production sites—three in France and one in the Netherlands—with a combined annual capacity of approximately 174,000 tons of paper, supplying substrates to printers, designers, publishers, agencies, and packaging businesses.
Is Clairefontaine a public or private company?
Clairefontaine is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Clairefontaine founded?
Clairefontaine was founded in 1858. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Clairefontaine based?
Clairefontaine is headquartered in Étival-clairefontaine, France, in the Europe region.
How does Clairefontaine make money?
One revenue line is on record: paper Products Sales.
Who are Clairefontaine's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mondi, Fedrigoni, Stora Enso, Sappi and UPM. Direct peers are Heinzel Group, Lecta, Favini, Burgo Group and Arctic Paper.
Does Clairefontaine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Clairefontaine.
What industry is Clairefontaine in?
Clairefontaine's product category is Specialty Paper Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAEAB, Newsprint Paper Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 32212 and its SIC code is 2621.