Responsible Care is the chemical industry’s unique global initiative that drives continuous improvement in health, safety and environmental (HSE) performance, together with open and transparent communication with stakeholders. Responsible Care embraces the development and application of sustainable chemistry, helping our industry contribute to sustainable development while allowing us to meet the world’s growing need for essential chemicals and the products those chemicals make possible.
Launched in 1985 by the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association, this dynamic initiative is constantly evolving to meet the challenges facing chemical manufacturers and all those in the value chain. At global level, that evolution was demonstrated with our launch of the Responsible Care Global Charter in 2006 at the UN-led International Conference on Chemicals Management in Dubai.
Implementation of the Global Charter is strengthening our commitment to the initiative by focusing on important challenges like sustainable development, effective management of chemicals along the value chain, greater industry transparency, and improved harmonization and consistency of Responsible Care around the world.
Through the participation of over 50 national chemical manufacturing associations – and through them, thousands of chemical sites around the world – Responsible Care forms an essential part of ICCA’s contribution to the United Nations’ Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).
Responsible Care has fostered the development of the ICCA Global Product Strategy (GPS) which seeks to improve the industry’s management of chemicals including the communication of chemical risks throughout the supply chain. Through Responsible Care, the chemical industry is reporting and tracking its progress on critical elements of product stewardship and is making further improvements to its current processes.
At national level, member associations are responsible for the detailed implementation of Responsible Care in their countries. Individual countries’ programs are at different stages of development with different emphases, and are monitored and coordinated by our ICCA Responsible Care Leadership Group.
We are committed to the implementation of Responsible Care as broadly as possible within the chemical and allied industries. The network continues to expand to new regions, countries and companies, fostering capacity building, the sharing of health, safety and environmental information and employing an increasingly rigorous system of checklists, performance indicators and verification procedures.
Additionally, Responsible Care outreach spans a vast range of activities from cooperative performance-based initiatives with government agencies to community projects such as development of wildlife habitats and tailored programs for schools.