Fallow Land as
a Stroke of Luck

The history of the Nord industrial area in the Freiburg district began in 1927—almost 100 years ago—with the “Deutsche Acetat-Kunstseiden-Aktien-Gesellschaft Rhodiaseta.” The company manufactures various cellulose acetate products there—chemical intermediates used in paints and varnishes as well as textile fibers. At the time, Rhodiaseta was one of the very first acetate producers—and the first company to settle in “Freiburg’s only official industrial zone,” as Joachim Scheck summarizes in the Badische Zeitung.

In 1933, the Badische Zeitung further reports, Rhodiaseta already employed 1,000 workers; by 1960, that number had risen to 3,000. The industrial area around Rhodiaseta is now expanding, with additional companies gradually setting up shop. Under the name Rhodia Acetow, the production of acetate-based cigarette filters began in the mid-1950s. The company also produced polyamide and polyester, both raw materials for the production of textile fabrics.

In the meantime, however, the market had changed; Rhodiaceta—now spelled with a “c”—was acquired by the French Solvay Group in 2011 and renamed Solvay Acetow GmbH in 2013. But that was only the first of several rapid changes in ownership to follow. In 2016, the U.S. investor Blackstone acquired Solvay’s acetate division, and Solvay Acetow became Rhodia Acetow. It remained that way until April 2019. After these turbulent times, the site returns to calmer waters; in 2019, it becomes part of the newly founded, globally active company Cerdia, headquartered in Basel with production facilities in Brazil, France, the U.S., and Russia. The Freiburg branch is now called Cerdia Produktions GmbH and primarily produces so-called filter tows for the cigarette industry. A profitable venture, despite the declining market. Cerdia Produktions GmbH currently employs around 770 people.

As early as its founding in 1927, Rhodiaseta secured land beyond its current needs; in 1971, the landholding was expanded by another 22 hectares to ensure sufficient room for growth. But the land was never actually used and lay fallow for decades, aside from partial use as sports facilities—think of the Polyester Hall and Solvay Sportpark. Time and again, the city of Freiburg attempted to buy back the brownfield site. It wasn’t until 2020 that Freiburg S-Wirtschaftsimmobilien GmbH&Co. KG (FWI) succeeded in acquiring the 16-hectare brownfield site. A stroke of luck, as the brownfield can now be developed from the ground up—as part of the Green Industry Park with concepts designed to bridge the gap between economy and ecology. The path to a model for future industrial sites is clear.