Paris, February 7, 2012 --- Rhodia announces the official inauguration today of the Observatoire des Innovations (Innovation Observatory), a temporary exhibition at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie science museum in Paris designed to highlight research and creation within business organizations.

For the 3rd iteration of this exhibition, the Observatoire invites visitors to examine a certain number of innovations and to discover the underlying principles, techniques and future prospects through four case studies:

-     The world of supercomputers and digital simulation,
-     The specific features of craft innovation through a number of amazing examples,
-     Innovations in tires in favor of sustainable mobility,
-     Molecules, innovative processes, and product lifecycles in the chemical industry of today.

Rhodia is contributing to the last topic with the presentation of new materials and new production processes while simultaneously emphasizing a key concept underlying innovation in the chemical industry: product lifecycle.

The exhibition area devoted to “innovations in the chemical industry” consists of an entertaining and educational circuit designed to illustrate the three principal cornerstones of Rhodia’s scientific research:

-     Designing the materials of the future, aimed at reducing consumers’ environmental footprint,
-     Preserving the planet’s natural resources by finding viable alternatives to non-renewable raw materials,
-     Producing in a responsible way by using fewer raw materials, optimizing energy use, and limiting the environmental impact of industrial activities.

“Chemistry is both an industry and a scientific discipline. And yet, chemistry intrigues people and inspires a great many doubts and questions. Through this exhibition, we hope to demonstrate to the general public that chemistry forms an essential and integral part of our everyday lives, that it is the very embodiment of progress, and that it provides solutions vital to meeting the principal challenges facing society today,” explains Pascal Juéry, Executive Vice-President of Rhodia.

Rhodia, a member of the Solvay group, is a specialty chemical company resolutely committed to sustainable development. As a leader in its businesses, the company aims to improve its customers’ performance through the pursuit of operational excellence and its ability to innovate. Structured around 11 Global Business Units, Rhodia is the partner of major players in the automotive, electronics, flavors and fragrances, health, personal and home care markets, consumer goods and industrial markets. Rhodia employs around 14,000 people worldwide and generated sales of €5.23 billion in 2010.

Contact

Press Relations
Lamia Narcisse    +33 (0)1 53 56 59 62 lamia.narcisse@eu.rhodia.com