Case study: Improving environmental management at Rhodia's Paulínia,Brazil chemical facility

At the end of 1995, Lisě Monteiro, the engineer responsible for Industrial Security and the Environment at Rhodia, was seeking possible improvements that could be introduced into the company's environmental practices. He had noticed that one of the company's industrial units, the Adipic Acid Department at the Paulínia Chemical Plant complex, was getting good results in its efforts to control environmental pollution. An outside consultant was brought in to examine the department in greater depth to see what lessons might be learned from their experience that would help Rhodia improve its managerial procedures. This article details how this plant improved its environmental performance with many quality initiatives.