Form 20-F 2005

changes in economic or technological trends;
potential environmental claims, costs, liabilities or other obligations;
general competitive and market factors on a global, regional and/or national basis; and
optimizing the value of credits (CER) issued in regards to projects for the reduction of greenhouse gasses in South Korea
and Brazil, developed within the framework of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol.
Item 4. Information About Rhodia
We are a leading global manufacturer of a wide range of specialty chemical and other products that are sold in a broad spectrum of
consumer and industrial markets, including cosmetics, detergents, pharmaceuticals, automotive, electronics, agrochemicals and
construction. Our proprietary technologies and differentiated product portfolio enable us to develop and deliver high-performance,
cost-effective solutions to our customers. Our technologies enhance our customers’ end products by, among other things, improving
performance, enhancing core product characteristics, simplifying production processes, lowering costs and making products more
environmentally friendly. We own and operate manufacturing facilities located in Europe, North America, the Asia/Pacific region
and Latin America. In addition, we operate five multi-disciplinary and multi-enterprise centers across the world plus 35 technical
development centers providing links between the research centers and enterprises, customers and local markets.
Corporate Information
The legal and commercial name (dénomination sociale) of our Company is Rhodia. We were incorporated in 1989 for a period of
99 years. The Company is a société anonyme, a form of limited liability company, domiciled in, incorporated under and governed
by the laws of France—most notably art. L. 225.1 & seq. of the French Commercial Code. Our corporate governance structure is
set out in our by-laws (statuts), which were last amended on December 20, 2005.
We are registered with the Register of Commerce and Companies of Nanterre (registration number 352 170 161).
Our registered office is located at Immeuble Coeur Défense, Tour A, 110 Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, 92400 Courbevoie,
and our phone number is +33 1-5356-6464. Until November 2, 2005, our registered office was 26, quai Alphonse-Le Gallo,
92512 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex, France. Our agent for service of process in the United States is CT Corporation System,
111 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011.
Corporate History
Our origins date back to the nineteenth century to two chemical companies, the Société Chimique des Usines du Rhône and
l’Entreprise de Produits Chimiques Etienne Poulenc. In 1928, they merged to form Rhône-Poulenc. Over the years, Rhône-Poulenc
expanded into such areas as polyamide and polyester fibers and life sciences, and made many major acquisitions in the chemical
industry. During the 1990s, Rhône-Poulenc divested many businesses and refocused its strategy on life sciences and specialty
chemicals. From 1990 to 1997, it divested many businesses in basic chemicals. Rhône-Poulenc also applied its strategy of focusing
on specialty products to its Fibers & Polymers division and gradually disposed of its polyester business.
The formation of Rhodia with our current name and organizational structure occurred on January 1, 1998, through a series of
transactions carried out by Rhône-Poulenc and several of its subsidiaries. We became a public company on June 25, 1998,
when Rhône-Poulenc sold a 32.7% stake in our Company to the public. In October 1999, Rhône-Poulenc carried out a two-part
transaction in which it sold 39.1% of our outstanding shares and issued Notes exchangeable into our shares representing 25.9%
of our share capital. In December 2002, Rhône-Poulenc (which had become Aventis) proceeded with the early redemption of these
bonds, effectively canceling all outstanding bonds. On May 2, 2003, Aventis reduced its stake in our Company to 15.3% from
25.2% pursuant to a sale and purchase agreement with Crédit Lyonnais (now Crédit Agricole). As a result of capital increases we
have carried out, Sanofi-Aventis, successor to Aventis, currently holds 8.2% of our share capital.
Form 20 - F 2005 - Rhodia
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