Chemistry making a world of difference

Responsible CareResponsible Care®® - Thrusts in Europe - Thrusts in Europe

Dr Richard Robson Cefic Director

APRCC, Manila, Philippines17th November 2005

Responsible Care® - a unique initiative of the global chemical industry

It is the global voice of chemistry

Responsible Care is the industry ethicResponsible Care is the industry ethic

It is our license to operate

Responsible Care in Europe

Responsible Care has served us well since it was introduced in Europe in 1990

There was a need to update and strengthen the initiative

A major review of Responsible Care took place in Cefic between 2002 and 2004

The results of the review are now being implemented

New Responsible Care in Europe

PRESENT RESPONIBLE CARE AS A PAN-EUROPEAN PROGRAMME

• Based on the national programmes• Raising and levelling the bar of performance in key areas

1. MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FRAMEWORK• Base Responsible Care management on “Plan-Do-Check-Act”

Cycle• Consistent with existing management system standards • In-built capacity to be certified

2. VERIFICATION – an essential element• Self assessment moving towards external assessment

New Responsible Care in Europe

3. IMPROVING PERFORMANCE – at the Core• Encourage companies to set goals and targets

• Further development of indicators of performance

• Introduce a Cefic Responsible Care Award Scheme

4. IMPROVED “E” COMMUNICATIONS

• To both internal and external audiences

• Dedicated Responsible Care web site

• Careline magazine and news bulletins etc

New Responsible Care in Europe

5. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT• involve stakeholders in further development of the

initiative

• introduce a European Advisory Panel

6. INCREASING BUSINESS VALUE• Safer and efficient operations bring cost savings

• Improved product development and marketing

• Economic benefit derived from stakeholder recognition e.g. Insurance

New Responsible Care in Europe

7. PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP Product stewardship is a global issue

requiring a global response

A major element in the Global Charter

In Europe , Product Stewardship will be a flagship programme for Responsible Care for the next 5 years”

What is Product Stewardship? It is the way we work and communicate with our partners

up and down the supply chain to ensure our products are properly managed during their life cycle and so meet the increasing demands for health, safety, environmental protection and sustainability.

It helps to:

• Reduce the actual and potential risks associated with the manufacture, packaging, distribution, handling, use and disposal of our products

• Improve product design, assessment practices, advice, education, communication and customer support

Product Stewardship Deliverables

Cefic Responsible Care Team looking at:

• Critical success factors

• Requirements of a Product Stewardship program

• Simple working procedures to meet the requirements

• Basic Product Stewardship training and communications

• Metrics to measure implementation, compliance and effectiveness

Product Stewardship vs Legislation

•Meeting regulatory requirements is important– Product Stewardship helps to meet regulatory

requirements.– Future legislation (REACH..) will certainly challenge and

influence Product Stewardship practices.

•Product Stewardship is an integral part of Responsible Care

•Practices should be in place to meet the requirements of this commitment

Product Stewardship Critical Success Factors

A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME

• CEO/Senior management commitment

• Business/commercial ownership

• Attitude of continuous improvement

• Network of experts in Product Stewardship issues

• Appropriate and continuous training for all stakeholders

• Effective communication of HSE (Health, Safety, Environment) information to all stakeholders

• Suitable performance metrics

Product Stewardship 3 Examples from Europe

From a Company

From a Federation

From a European Business Sector

A member of the Degussa Group

• An holistic concept for the responsible management of cyanides throughout the entire supply chain addressing: – Substitution– Production– Laboratories– Transportation– Packaging– Application technologies– External and internal communications – Chemicals management and management systems

• Highly commended in Cefic Award Scheme 2005

UK Chemical Industries Association

• In conjunction with the British Chemical Distributors and Transport Association have developed training courses and seminars to assist member companies introduce the key elements of product stewardship into their sales and marketing teams.

• They address wide issues including:

– Understanding of the products

– Understanding the issues

– Emergency response awareness at the customer’s premises

– Proper preparation before meeting a customer

– Having the correct technical and regulatory knowledge to work alongside and support customers/suppliers

EUROPEAN SOLVENT INDUSTRY GROUP

• Regulators are concerned about the responsible use of solvents by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME’s).

• The main reasons appear to be that:– current information sources, – labels and SDS’s are written in a form that

operators and non-technical people find hard to understand,

– current information is not available at the point of use,

– SME’s do not necessarily have trained staff to ensure that operators are trained in safe handling.

ESIG MATERIALS

• The development of simplified communication tools designed to improve the Health, Safety and Environmental performance of SMEs

• Handed out to SMEs who use solvents through the suppliers

• Demonstrates that the solvents industry is proactive and cares about its customers.