The voluntary program for the chemical industry to drive continuous improvement in safe chemicals management and achieve excellence in environmental, health, safety and security performance.
Since its launch in 1985 in Canada, Responsible Care® has grown into a global movement, uniting more than 60 chemical associations across more than 70 economies.
Responsible Care® is the global chemical industry’s voluntary initiative to drive continuous improvement in safe chemicals management and achieve excellence in environmental, health, safety and security performance.
The Responsible Care initiative began in Canada in 1984, and today, national chemicals associations in nearly 70 economies around the world manage Responsible Care implementation in their individual countries.
Through ICCA, national chemical associations and their members champion Responsible Care®, committing to safe chemical management, stakeholder collaboration, and product stewardship. This work drives sustainable development and supports global chemical safety frameworks.
Today, over 90 of the world’s 100 largest chemical companies have signed on, pledging to:
A special thanks to Canada for their leadership in championing Responsible Care, check out their video celebrating its 40th anniversary to see the impact firsthand! Together, these actions show how the chemical industry can innovate safely, responsibly, and sustainably.
“In 1985, Canadian Chemistry made a bold commitment to change the industry. Responsible Care® wasn’t just a program; it was a promise. To put safety and community first and to take on the world’s toughest challenges with chemistry at the core.” – Chemistry Industry Association of Canada
ICCA recently launched a new Responsible Care Self-Assessment Tool, which supports implementation of the six elements of the Responsible Care Global Charter by participating companies and provides practical guidance to help them enhance their safety and sustainability performance.
Measuring, managing, and transparently sharing environmental, health, safety and sustainability data is a key component of Responsible Care. A new initiative, launched by the Responsible Care Leadership Group at ICCA, aims to support that work. The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Enhancement Project establishes a common platform for collection of performance metrics by national associations and organizations practicing Responsible Care. To date, over 30 chemical associations have committed to reporting KPIs in the platform.
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Through Responsible Care, chemical manufacturers, national chemical industry associations and their partners commit to:
The Responsible Care Global Charter outlines this unified commitment. CEOs from nearly 700 global chemical manufacturing companies.
ICCA’s Responsible Care Leadership Group (RCLG) oversees the global Responsible Care initiative and includes representatives from national associations and chemical manufacturing companies around the world.
Responsible Care is a global initiative, and national chemical associations work with member companies to implement the program in their respective regions. The RCLG has developed a set of implementation milestones for national associations to track progress. Based on the Eight Fundamental Features of Responsible Care, these implementation milestones are intended to guide national associations as they work to build and grow Responsible Care in their region.
As part of our commitment to Responsible Care, national chemical associations, chemical companies, their business partners and ICCA work closely to strengthen and spread the Responsible Care ethic worldwide.
Responsible Care supports collaboration among the chemical industry, government and local authorities to help facilitate excellent practices in sound chemicals management and sustainable growth in regions around the globe. ICCA provides financial and technical resources to support Responsible Care education and workshops, to facilitate capacity building in regions that have recently adopted Responsible Care.
ICCA has supported capacity building activities around the world, to strengthen Responsible Care and sound management of chemicals. Learn about capacity building activities in China, India, Africa and other regions.
Responsible Care is an essential part of ICCA’s contribution to the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) – a policy framework to promote chemical safety and sound management around the world.
ICCA’s capacity building partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is critical to our work to implement sound chemicals management practices. Working together, ICCA and UNEP have held a wide range of joint activities, from workshops and symposiums to in-depth studies, with an aim to grow Responsible Care in China, South America, Africa and other regions.
Reporting of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is a cornerstone of Responsible Care. Associations around the world work collaboratively with their company members to collect and report data on industry performance. With a goal of continuous improvement, Responsible Care advocates understand that in order to improve, we must know where we are.
We are focused on continuous improvement, which is built upon a comprehensive assessment of industry’s EHS performance based on quantitative performance indicators. Using ICCA’s KPI reporting tool, national associations report and track performance metrics related to workplace safety, energy and water consumption, CO2 emissions and process safety incidents.
Responsible Care
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Responsible Care
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Responsible Care
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