Rhône-Poulenc
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Company type | merged with Hoechst AG |
---|---|
Industry | Chemicals |
Founded | 1928 |
Founder | Étienne Poulenc |
Products | Chemicals and pharmaceuticals |
Rhône-Poulenc (French pronunciation:
History
The company was founded in 1928 through the merger of Société des usines chimiques du Rhône (Society of Rhône Chemical Factories) from Lyon and Poulenc Frères (Poulenc Brothers) from Paris founded by Étienne Poulenc, a 19th-century Parisian apothecary and brought to prominence by his second and third sons Émile, father of composer Francis Poulenc, and Camille Poulenc (1864–1942). Établissements Poulenc Frères had purchased May & Baker in 1922, the latter continuing to trade under its original name until 1990.
In 1950, the company synthesized
The company was bought by Établissements Poulenc Frères (later to become Société des Usines Chimiques Rhône-Poulenc) in 1922, and subsequently moved to Dagenham, Essex, although it continued to trade under the May & Baker name.
In 1997, its chemicals division was spun off into a separate company named
In 1997 Rhône-Poulenc came to play a central part in what is claimed to be the worst environmental accident in Sweden's history. Rhône-Poulenc supplied Rhoca-Gil for the building of the Hallandsås tunnel. The chemical leaked into the artesian water, causing great damage to cattle, surrounding nature and workers at the construction site. Rhône-Poulenc was criticised for not pointing out the risks of using the sealant, which contained acrylamide and is considered to be carcinogenic. Criminal charges were brought against the company and In June 2001, the managing director of the former Rhône-Poulenc Sweden was found guilty of breaching the Chemical Products Act, and was to pay 60 day-fines at SEK650 for a total of SEK60,000.[5]
Rhône-Poulenc originally funded the Rhône-Poulenc Prizes, now known as the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books.
Literature
- Chauveau, Sophie. 1999. L'Invention pharmaceutique : la pharmacie française entre l’État et la société au XXe siècle. Le Plessis-Robinson: Sanofi-Synthélabo.
See also
References
- ^ https://dfih.fr/persons/51031 | DFIH — Data for Financial History | Person: Hippolyte-Eugène Boyer
- ISBN 978-0-465-02014-0.
- ^ "Rhone-poulenc drug strategy includes "Eventual" U.S. Expansion". Pharma Intelligence. 1987-03-09. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
- ^ "Rhône Poulenc". Archived from the original on 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
- ^ Mårald (2007), p. 111-117 - See also printed sources