NewsBrief
Issue No.60 August 2008		TM

Responsible Care® Energised!

Global chemical company chief executives are considering taking the highly successful voluntary Responsible Care® initiative to a new level. Industry leaders propose introducing an international Third Party verification and certification option which will be widely recognized by both supporters and critics as confirmation of superior safety, health and environmental (SH&E) performance within their various global markets.

International sustainability policies, particularly climate change, energy conservation and the provision of comprehensive product information demanded by new chemical control regulation, prompted a timely review of the Responsible Care® ethic, guiding principles, and performance standards. Chemical industry chief executives are exploring proactive processes for acknowledging and addressing growing concerns about chemicals and subsequent demands for further regulation and controls.

For example, other countries may decide to emulate the EU REACH legislation which established a new benchmark by making chemical manufacturers, rather than regulatory authorities, responsible for proving chemicals and products are safe.

Building on the good work of chemical associations in 53 countries, the global certification proposal seeks to expand existing national association verification schemes into a credible, single global Responsible Care® accreditation, ideally incorporating complementary certification schemes, e.g. ISO 14000, recognized by leading environmental and sustainability organizations.

The scheme should help encourage leading multi-nationals to actively support and participate in the local national Responsible Care® initiatives in order to gain the new global certification. This can only further reinforce both the extent and the robustness of our industry’s commitment to ‘Doing the Right Thing’.

A huge challenge to be sure, but necessary if Responsible Care® is to maintain its integrity and reputation as arguably the world’s most successful voluntary industry SH&E protection initiative.

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