Operating in the three sectors of Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals and Plastics, Solvay is represented worldwide with 56 per cent of its sales from within Europe. Following the acquisition of Fournier Pharma, Solvay Pharmaceutical's flagship product and principal growth driver is now fenofibrate, a treatment for lipidic disorders which is sold as Tricor in the US and Lipanthyl elsewhere.

Solvay's organisation into Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and Competence Centres, with logistic support from specialist teams (Business Support Centres), is a key competitive advantage. The group has introduced an Innovation Charter, which places special emphasis on the need for dynamic and responsible innovation, that can generate lasting growth and improvement. At the heart of this innovation process is the New Business Development (NBD) organisation, assigned the task of managing new risk projects outside the SBUs defined fields of activity and exploiting, validating and implementing new technologies, new products and new applications. For example, by combining the Pharmaceutical sector's medical knowledge with the Chemical sector's understanding of mineral salts, the NBD team is developing food ingredients for four nutritional fields, giving the group a solid presence in the new growth segment of functional nutrition.