<p>Blackstone Group LP is making a big investment in the cigarette industry on behalf of its clients. Don’t expect this deal to feature prominently in its corporate social responsibility literature any time soon.</p>
<p>Funds advised by the private equity firm on Wednesday agreed to buy Solvay SA&apos;s Acetow unit, a maker of cellulose acetate used in cigarette filters, for about $1.1 billion. The product is the second-largest component of cigarettes, and about 90 percent of sales are to the tobacco industry.</p>