Chemical industry public image

More and more chemical companies do recognize the fact that their image, their reputation, plays a very important role in successful business. A proper image of the company is necessary to ensure public support for its activities. A study done in the United States showed that only the tobacco industry and the nuclear energy sector had a worse reputation than the chemical industry. The situation in Europe is probably not very much different. On the other hand, process intensification, deeply anchored in the philosophy of sustainable development, in safe and environmentally friendly processing, presents perhaps the simplest, the most obvious key to the improved image of the chemical industry. 

Is there any such thing as a public image for the whole chemical industry Does a positive industry image, assuming it exists, add value to individual companies Under today s earnings and competitive pressures, the value of public image- and acceptance-building is sometimes questioned. After all, the important automotive, food, electronics, telecommunications, and other industries do not appear to... 

For the VCI, the issue of public perception is mainly focused on the image of the chemical industry in Germany. However, since Germany is the third largest chemical-producing nation in the world and exports over half its output in terms of value, and since German subsidiaries abroad manufacture products to a further... 

Worldwide, in 1987 through 1989 the industry, whether in specialties or in basic chemicals, has certainly had its most prosperous years ever. The chemical industry, on the whole, does not, however, enjoy a very favorable image in the eyes of the public. The harmful spillovers caused by untoward accidents are given wider publicity by the media than the benefits the industry provides. In consequence, administrations that were anxious to soothe the more or less justified fears of their citizens have brought out a spate of regulations often more restraining and therefore more costly than is really necessary. 

The chemical industry is one of the safest industries, but its safety record in the eyes of the public has suffered. Perhaps this is because sometimes when there is an accident in a chemical plant it is spectacular and receives a great deal of attention. The public often associates the chemical industry with environmental and safety problems, which results in a negative image of the industry. 

The term industry refers to positions adopted by large trade associations, which comprise several companies that express potentially different views. One outcome of the Public Images of Chemistry in the 20th Century conference held in Paris, France, in September 2004, was that industry could improve its reputation by more openly recognising the risks as well as promoting the benefits of chemicals [177],... 

The Public Image of the Chemical Industry, Research Conducted for the Chemical Industries Association, Final Report, MORI, London, UK, 2002. 

We re covering issues that are suddenly thrust into the public domain we dig and find untruths, we still go for a balanced story and then we get attacked by the chemical industry and the American Chemical Society," one reporter told me. It comes as no surprise that respect is lacking in the relationship from both sides. What needs to be confronted here is that the industry is ultimately responsible for its own image. The messenger can t be shot for the problems carried in the mailbag. 

When in August 1965 several worried public relations officers from the Dutch chemical industry gathered in The Hague to consider the deteriorated public image of chemistry, their concern was not without precedent. Perhaps without realizing it, they tackled an issue the historical foundation of which was put in place a full century before. As we all know now, the results of their publicity campaigns have been rather futile, or even counter-productive. In Eibert Bunte s Leven met chemie ( Living with Chemistry ) of 1968, the old story of the utility and necessity of chemistry was repeated for the umpteenth time. Not much later student numbers in chemistry started to drop dramatically, and they have... 

As a matter of fact, we have to admit that the chemical industries have so far a rather poor public image in respect of environment and safety. Of course, efforts are being made by the top management members themselves to propagate how the world chemical companies are devoted to improve the environments at respective companies. In fact, expenditures for the environmental protection increase year by year. 

The chemical industry as a whole suffers fiem a serious image problem. When non-experts hear about a chemical transformation, they most often associate it with environmental pollution or industrial accidents, because these incidents receive a lot of publicity. Some e q)erts and most of the general public, however, hold a much more favorable view of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. These industries are also based on chemical transformations, but in a more environmentally sustainable manner—at least so the word goes. 

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