Perception, chemical industry

These challenges are critical to the profession of chemical engineering, the chemical industry, and our country. Risk assessment and management involve input from a multitude of different disciplines. The methodology is rapidly changing and extremely complex and reqrrires both technical input and input from professionals with expertise in legal, economic, judicial, medical, regrrlatory, and public perception issues. 

There is a serious problem with public perception that the chemical industry needs to correct. In a survey of 1,012 U.S. adults commissioned by the American... 

Chemical Society (see above) only 43% had a favorable opinion of the chemical industry. It was ranked lowest among a list of 10 industries, and only 1 in 10 respondents felt very well informed about the role of chemicals in improving human health. The situation is not appreciably better elsewhere. In Canada only 40% of adults in a 1999 survey had a favorable view of the chemical industry, and only 18% felt that the industry was excellent or good at being honest. A survey of 9,000 Western European citizens by the European Chemical Industry Council showed that only 45% had a favorable view of the chemical industry. There is still a lot of work to do to change these opinions and perceptions. 

It is human nature to perceive the accident with the greater loss of life as the greater tragedy. The potential for large loss of life gives the perception that the chemical industry is unsafe. 

During its formative first years, there have been relatively few regulations finalized under the potentially wide scope of the law. Even so, TSCA has had a perceptible and important impact on the chemical industry and the way it operates. This overview of progress under the TSCA law, will highlight and differentiate portions of the law where regulations are finalized, pending or awaiting administrative development. 

The chemical industry, more than any other industry, is perceived as a threat to humans, society, and the environment. Nevertheless, the benefits resulting from this activity cannot be negated health, crop protection, new material, colors, textiles, and so on. This negative perception is more enhanced after major accidents, such as those at Seveso and Bhopal. Even though such catastrophic incidents are rare, they are spectacular and retain public attention. Thus, a fundamental question is raised What risk does society accept regarding the benefits of an activity, of a product Such a question assumes that one is able-a priori-to assess the corresponding risk. 

Public Perception of the Chemical Industry - its Structure and Significance... 

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... 

The Chemical Industry and Public Perception 359 Wilfried Sahm ... 

The Brussels Roundtable discussions also point out the interactions between the different stakeholders, e.g. the industry and consumers. As Terence Koh of the Singapore Chemicals Industry Council argued, the chemicals industry demands that it should not be reduced to a role of polluter and in fact, it has recognised that it does well in accommodating public concerns. Daniel Verbist of the European Chemicals Industry Council further argued that We need to learn from scientific progress as well as from public perception to update our knowledge and adapt our practice. ... 

Of major concern to the chemical industry is the public perception that facility managers have little concern for the welfare of their neighbors. Managers themselves have contributed to such false impressions by failing to interact with their communities in a consistent and meaningful way. 

An example for an institutionalized body to fulfil at least partially tasks and functions of tolerability and acceptability assessment and risk appraisal on the national level is the UK Chemical Stakeholder Forum. The forum consists of stakeholders from different associations such as chemical industry, business, environment, consumer protection as well as research institutes. They gather different perceptions and concerns, evaluate and prioritize different chemicals and propose risk management strategies in order to deliberate the government. 

Public perception appears to be focused on the risks rather than the benefits of chemicals production. A pan-European survey found that only 50% of the general public viewed the chemical industry as beneficial to society, whereas 93% consider that chemicals negatively affect human health [78]. Rarely do public debates on chemicals policy discuss the benefits that chemical products provide to society or how to best devise regulation that supports the competitiveness of EU chemical producers. The media eye sees only chemical risks and regulation responds with knee-jerk reactions. Society is faced with complex issues on the sustainability of the chemical industry, not just in terms of maintaining international competitiveness but maximising the potential for the application of innovative chemistry. 

Increasing international competition and poor public perceptions could jeopardise the sustainability of the EU chemical industry. REACH is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the stakes are high. Whether REACH seals or opens the coffin for many EU chemical businesses will depend on the finer details of its implementation, which appears to be in the hands of the EU Member States, the European Commission and the new European Chemicals Agency. 

Given the prominent role of the chemical industry in Germany42, it is not surprising that the German public holds one of the highest perceptions of the benefits of the industry in the EU [429, 430]. Several interviewees expressed similar views on the positive public opinion of the industry and described German companies as experiencing less pressure from environmental NGO than the other... 

Discussion confirmed that the perception of the ATP as corporate welfare is dead, and the debate is now a healthy one about process improvement and funding and growth levels. Although the ATP does not directly receive a funding stream from successful projects, the payback is real in terms of jobs, economic growth, and quality of life. The audience again commented on the chemical industry s historic aversion to collaboration and speculated on the reasons for it. 

This development resulted in a relatively satisfactory stock performance in comparison with other basic materials industries such as steel and, in general, was more or less in line with the market as a whole until the mid 1990s (Fig. 3.3). The Asian crisis, however, proved quite a setback - wiping an estimated USD 25 billion off the industry s economic profit (return on invested capital minus WACC times invested capital) for Asian companies alone. The recovery of the Asian markets saw no matching improvement in the perception of the chemical industry by... 

Chapter 3 Views on Key Issues Facing the Chemical Industry This chapter looks at the public s perception of the chemical industry. The numbers of chemicals produced and the range of products that contain the chemicals have raised serious concerns about the impacts of chemicals on human health and ecosystems, which often boil down to the public s mistrust of the industry as a whole. This chapter highlights key issues, challenges and opportunities for the chemical industry, including the complex process of quantitative risk assessment... 

Section 3.2, The Chemical Industry and the Public Will the Chemical Experiment Continue opens with a summary of public concerns and how the chemical industry is perceived. Without increased scrutiny of chemicals, and their use in commerce and in products, perception of the chemical industry will remain unfavorable. The public sees the next few years as an unprecedented opportunity for the chemical industry to assume a larger burden of assessing and managing chemical risk to provide environmental and human health toxicity data and to promote green chemistry, safer substitutes, and innovation in the development of chemicals. 

From 1980 to 1990 in the United States, favorable opinion about the chemical industry fell from 30 percent to 14 percent, while public perceptions of the industry as unfavorable grew from 40 percent to 58 percent (CMA, 1993). Polls showed that the public believed the chemical industry had no self-control, did not listen to the public, did not put safety and the environment first, and did not take responsibility for its processes and products (Rees, 1997). 

When diagnosing stakeholder value it is important to understand that perceptions can be as important as scientific facts. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producers defend PVC on the basis of scientific arguments such as energy efficiency, low biomass accumulation, and product safety in normal use. Customers such as Nike, Sony, and Shaw Industries that have committed to eliminating PVC in their products as a precaution for their customers due to perceived health and environmental risks, are unlikely to change their perspective based on additional scientific facts provided by the chemical industry. As in the PVC case, manufacturers are vulnerable to value loss as a result of their customers perceptions of risks. 

Many companies, both within the chemical industry and in other sectors, have recognized benefits from involving their suppliers and customers in various aspects of their business. The area of supply chain management (SCM) has become a critical element in the overall business strategy of improved productivity, reduced costs, and better control of the quality and potential risks associated with raw materials and intermediates. Proactive management of supplier environmental performance, as practiced by Hewlett Packard, can lead to product and process simplification, improved resource efficiency, product quality enhancement, reduced liability, and customer perception of the company as an industry leader. 

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