Dubai, UAE, 5 February 2006 – The International Council of Chemical Associations; ICCA today announced the launch of two new initiatives – the Responsible Care® Global Charter and the Global Product Strategy – aimed at further elevating the global chemical industry’s commitment to improving environmental, health and safety performance, as well as product stewardship.
The initiatives also support the objectives of the UN global chemicals management plan, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, SAICM.
Peter Elverding, ICCA Board Chair, President of Cefic and CEO of DSM, said “These new initiatives are consistent with SAICM and are built upon the chemical industry’s long-standing record of improving environmental, health and safety performance and product stewardship.”
The first initiative, the Responsible Care Global Charter extends the original elements of Responsible Care®, which has been successful in improving the chemical industry’s health, safety and environmental performance. The charter focuses on new and important challenges facing the chemical industry and society including sustainable development, effective management of chemicals along the value chain, greater industry transparency and increased global harmonisation and consistency among Responsible Care programmes around the world.
Dr. Nance Dicciani, President and CEO of Honeywell Specialty Materials, who introduced the Responsible Care Global Charter at today’s event, said, “The new Responsible Care Global Charter elevates the commitment of the more than 50 participating associations to protect the environment, health and safety of people worldwide and to meet the challenge from our stakeholders. We’re implementing a number of new measures such as global performance data reporting and verification processes that go beyond self-assessment.”
The Global Product Strategy is designed to enhance product stewardship within the chemical industry and with customers throughout the chain of commerce. Key components include:
Guidelines for product stewardship, to share best practices within the chemical industry and with customer industries;
a tiered process for completing risk characterization and risk management actions for chemicals in commerce;
product stewardship performance with a special focus on working directly with downstream customers of the chemical industry (the “value chain”);
exploration of a potential partnership with an intergovernmental organization to enhance global product stewardship, and,
greater transparency, including ways to make relevant product stewardship information available to the public.
ICCA will be working with its member associations and their member companies to advance the Global Product Strategy in the years ahead.
Alain Perroy, Director General of Cefic and ICCA Council Secretary, introduced the Global Product Strategy. He said, “The unique and effective programmes used by chemical companies throughout the world have been synthesised to create the Global Product Strategy. As an industry, we create many products and useful applications for many customers, so it is important to promote effective worldwide implementation.”
Speakers at the ICCA event included UNEP’s Executive Director, Dr. Klaus Töpfer who said, “I welcome the global chemical industry’s participation in this process and their commitment to improving its environmental, health and safety performance.”
Peter Elverding, ICCA Board Chair, president of Cefic and CEO of Royal DSM, seconded Töpfer’s remarks, “As an industry, we want to be part of the solution. We want to work with all stakeholders to improve our performance, not only on chemicals management, but in all aspect of chemical manufacture and use. We are committed to working constructively – we are by nature a problem-solving industry.”
Concluded Perroy, “Our industry has been working closely with UNEP and other IGOs and NGOs on these important issues related to chemicals management. As an important complement and contribution to SAICM, we are moving forward to implement these new voluntary objectives and commitments.”
Full copies of the industry speakers’ remarks are available on request. More information about ICCA’s side event at the ICCM is available at www.icca-at-dubai.org.