Schkopau, 10.02.2026

A television crew from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) visited the Fernholz film production site in Schkopau on 30 January 2026 to produce a report on the status of the central German chemical industry for its news magazine “exakt”.

The visit was prompted by the announcement by the US chemical company Dow of its intention to close key plants in Schkopau (Saxony-Anhalt) and Böhlen (Saxony) by the end of 2027. The MDR team interviewed Fernholz Managing Director Michael Roth about the potential impact on Fernholz Verpackungen and asked for his views on the necessary transformation in the chemical industry.

Given the tight-knit structures within the central German chemical industry, the loss of the steam cracker operated by Dow Chemical in Böhlen in particular is a real problem for many downstream companies. The steam cracker splits crude oil into basic substances such as ethylene and propylene and supplies them to Schkopau via pipelines. “The cracker supplies the chemical sites, which then produce plastic granulates. We take these granulates and transform them into films”, says Michael Roth to summarise the interdependencies within the supply chains. “Of course, we could also source the plastic granulate elsewhere. But doing so would be significantly more complex from a logistical perspective, which would cost us our competitive edge”, says Roth to describe the problem.

Despite the anger and concern about Dow Chemical’s actions in the region, it is still important to ask why the US company is making such severe cuts. And Fernholz has a clear opinion: “The entire industry is under immense competitive pressure. High energy costs and growing bureaucracy are making it increasingly difficult to compete successfully. Instead of reducing red tape, the EU alone introduced a real slew of legislation in 2025: The EU Commission initiated over 1,400 acts of law under President Ursula von der Leyen – more than at any time since 2010. If you take us as an example, we are groaning under the disproportionate financial burden placed on German SMEs by the Single-Use Plastics Fund Act (EWKFondsG). Politicians need to stop talking and start acting”, demands Michael Roth on behalf of the company.

Fernholz is determined to lead by example. Defying the general trend, the company announced in early January 2026 that it would be continuing its growth strategy in Schkopau as well. For instance, yet another high-performance extruder was put into operation just recently as part of the ongoing investment programme. This modern system was designed specifically for the production of polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) films with thicknesses ranging from 200 to 2000 µm and widths of 200 to 1200 mm.

“With these investments, Fernholz is underlining its commitment to the Schkopau site and its role as a reliable partner for high-quality film solutions in Europe.” It would be nice to see politicians at state, federal and EU level doing their bit and actually addressing these problems”, concludes Michael Roth.