Responsible Care programmes

The concept of Product Stewardship in the polyurethanes industry is discussed, as one of the six elements of the Responsible Care programme used by companies. A Product Stewardship programme is said to demonstrate commitment to Responsible Care and ensures health, safety and environmental protection through active assessment of products throughout their life cycle from... 

In 2004/2005, the Head of CEFIC s Responsible Care programme expressed the opinion that REACH could have been avoided if the chemical industry had been more active with product stewardship programmes [267]. 

IMPLEMENT FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES OF NATIONAL RESPONSIBLE CARE PROGRAMMES. 

Each national chemical association establishes and manages its own national Responsible Care programme based on a set of eight common fundamental features. They are ... 

First standalone CERs, e.g. Ontario Hydro, Canada First Responsible Care Programme in W. Europe chemicals industry launched in UK... 

The first formal Responsible Care programme for the Western European chemicals industry was launched by the Chemical Industries Association in the UK in 1989, followed by UIC, the French chemical association, in 1990. Within a few more years, the chemicals industries in most of the European countries had programmes running. 

As far as the chemicals sector is concerned, environmental reporting has been much assisted by the introduction of the Responsible Care Programme and the issue of appropriate guidelines through the CEFIC. 

The basic structure of the Responsible Care programmes is set by the ICCA, and implemented by the national associations in cooperation with the regional federations. Each national Responsible Care programme contains eight fundamental features that are broken down into milestones (of which there are 23 in all). The last feature to be added was that of verification (incorporated by the ICCA in 1996). They are ... 

While most chemicals companies buy in to the Responsible Care programme, what is being looked for here is the employment of, and a particular intention to work to, a recognised environmental management system such as ISO 14001, the European Eco-Management and Audit System (EMAS) or a management verification system such as that run by the US Chemical Manufacturer s Association. While it is expected that the company will have a significant proportion (>25%) of its production sites certified, a yes score may be achieved with a lower proportion if there is evidence that the company shows a continuous upward trend. 

Policy Neste s environmental, health and safety policy is stated in the CER. It reads To be a leader in the way we handle environmental, health and safety matters is the basis for trust among customers, employers and society. This secures our long-term success. Mere regulatory compliance is not enough. Through the Responsible Care programme we are committed to openness and continuous improvement and aim to strengthen our competitiveness. ... 

EMS the site has an integrated quality and ES H system, which is routinely assessed by BSI-QA as part of its registrations under ISO 9002, the EMAS, ISO 14001 and BS 8800. Solutia UK is a member of the CIA and as such subscribes to the Responsible Care programme. 

In the early 1990s, chemical companies recognized the need to take a fresh look at the safety, quality, and environmental aspects related to the provision of logistics services. Within the framework of the Responsible Care Programme, initiatives were started that have since evolved into a number of safety and quality assessment systems (SQAS), each related to a particular transport mode or logistics operation. 

Many enterprises have chosen this route and based their safety management systems on the quality standard. The chemical industry has linked its pre-existing Responsible Care programme to the ISO quality and environmental standards ... 

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