Freudenberg Group controversies

Nazi-era Aryanization and concentration-camp shoe testing

Freudenberg acquired Conrad Tack & Cie, a Jewish-owned shoe manufacturer and retailer, during the Nazi regime and later absorbed or pursued other businesses affected by expropriation policies. The company was also involved in the wider footwear-testing system that used prisoners at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where forced laborers walked extreme distances testing shoes under abusive conditions. Some prisoners died. These events are central to assessments of Freudenberg’s historical responsibility during the Nazi period.