“Akzo Nobel is the world’s largest paint maker, but it can do more than paint a pretty picture. The company is also among the world’s largest chemical manufacturers and a major salt producer. Akzo Nobel divides its business into three lines. The paints group produces decorative paints and primarily serves Europe and North America. Akzo Nobel’s coatings group manufactures marine and protective coatings, packaging coatings, automotive finishes, and industrial coatings. The specialty chemicals unit makes pulp and paper chemicals, functional chemicals (flame retardants, crop nutrients), industrial chemicals (salt and chlor alkalies), surfactants, and specialty starches.”
Criticism
Business Ethics
- Rolling Up the Culprits“In its final report in October 2005, a committee of inquiry, headed by Paul Volcker, a former chairman of America’s Federal Reserve, found that 2,253 firms, many of them household names, had made illegal payments totalling $1.8 billion to the Saddam regime…Vitol (Swiss) and Akzo Nobel (Dutch). All have agreed to forfeit millions of dollars—$30m in Chevron’s case—by way of fines or restitution.”
- Akzo Nobel settles additional Remeron court cases“Akzo Nobel, the international pharmaceuticals, coatings and chemical company, confirmed today that it and its wholly owned subsidiary, Organon USA, have reached settlements in the Remeron(mirtazapine) antitrust litigation pending in the United States. The settlements amount to a total of USD 59.8 million…The lawsuits alleged that the Company’s conduct involving a patent relating to the use of Remeron in combination with so-called SSRIs delayed the market introduction of generic mirtazapine and violated the antitrust laws.”
- listed Remeron as new combination therapy to extend monopoly“A $36 million settlement has been reached in the nationwide class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the consumers, state purchasers, and other end payors of the antidepressant drug, Remeron. The suit alleged that the company improperly listed a new “combination therapy” patent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in order to unlawfully extended its monopoly.”
- US: 77 multi-million dollar suits filed against Monsanto“The complaints, filed Oct. 1 in Putnam Circuit Court, list Monsanto Company, Pharmacia Corporation, Akzo Nobel Inc, Flexsys America, Solutia Inc., Apogee Coal Company and related companies as defendants. In each complaint, the “plaintiffs allege the same series of occurrences involving the negligent and otherwise unlawful release of dioxin from properties owned and/or controlled by the defendants caused or significantly contributed to their cancers,” the complaints state.”
Environmental
- Dutch government prosecutes Akzo Nobel for pollution“The Dutch government has announced its intention to pursue a long-standing legal case against chemical firm Akzo Nobel. The Dutch ministry responsible for the environment says it has spent 27 million euros cleaning up a number of locations, which it claims were polluted with the insecticide HCH (hexachlorine cyclohexane) by Akzo Nobel between 1954 and 1975.”
- Akzo Nobel Charged Under Environmental Regulations for New Substances“Akzo-Nobel Chemicals Ltd, of 1 City Centre Drive, Mississauga, Ontario was charged in Provincial Court, Brampton, Ontario on May 13, 1999, with three counts of violating the New Substances Notification Regulations issued pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The first court appearance to respond to these charges is scheduled for June 4, 1999. The purpose of the New Substances Notification Regulations is to ensure that no new substances will be manufactured in or imported into Canada on a commercial scale before an assessment has been carried out to determine the risk they pose to the environment and human health. It is alleged that Akzo Nobel failed to make the proper pre-notification to Environment Canada’s “New Substances Division” on three occasions.”
Praise
- Akzo Nobel Recognized for Environmental Stewardship“Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester today announced that Akzo Nobel Coatings, Inc.–Car Refinishes North America of Pontiac has been designated as a Michigan Clean Corporate Citizen in a voluntary program recognizing environmental stewardship.”
Subsidiaries and Affiliates
Akzo Nobel Base Chemicals B.V.
Akzo Nobel Inc.
Chemcraft International Inc.
Eka Chemicals AB
ICI Paints in North America
[ custom essay writing]