It was in 1896 that the Belgian firm Solvay built its Camargue factory for the production of sodium carbonate from sea salt. This gave the salt works in Giraud an enormous boost, and also led to the creation of Salin-de-Giraud, a workers' housing development that reflected the paternalistic tradition of the North, with an infirmary, sports facilities, a cinema, a primary school, and of course (this being Provence) – an arena! Giraud and Solvay parted company when, in 1962, the company stopped producing sodium carbonate (and therefore stopped buying salt). Instead, it took up the production of calcium carbonate, whose applications are numerous (paper products, toothpaste, mastics, inks, etc.). In 1981, its inorganic chemistry department teamed up with a pharmaceuticals unit to produce compounds for use in cardiology and gastroenterology.
Workers' houses built by Solvay in Salin-de-Giraud
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