Sustainable development Responsible Care program

Taschler, David R., PE is a business manager at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. in Allentown, PA and an adjunct professor in the Engineering Division at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. He conducted his doctoral research on the Characteristics of Board of Director Members and Corporate Commitment to Sustainable Development at the University of Phoenix. Dr. Taschler is a former Management Verifier for the American Chemistry Council s Responsible Care program and is a member of the AIChE Sustainability Division and the Academy of Management. 

Akzo Nobel actively supports the guiding principles of the Business Charter for Sustainable Development of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Responsible Care program of the chemical industry and the Coatings Care program of the paint and printing ink industry. 

The Responsible Care program will likely continue to evolve. ICCA supports the goal adopted by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 "that by 2020 chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment" [170]. How Responsible Care will contribute to that goal, and how progress will be measured and reported, remain to be seen. 

Chapter 2 Addressing Sustainability in the Chemical Industry This chapter looks at the scope and scale of the chemical industry the industry s response to formative developments and drivers and the evolution of its signature program, Responsible Care , with a look at its current role in advancing sustainability as well as future positioning. 

On one hand, Responsible Care is seen as compliance focused and, while considered a component of sustainability, does not currently offer the platform for embracing all of the concepts of sustainability (focus groups above Sustain Ability, 2004). Responsible Care is viewed as a sector-specific collaborative initiative, whereas sustainability broadly encompasses issues of competitive positioning and business growth, which involve full engagement of internal and external stakeholders. Even as Responsible Care expands focus to include more sustainability parameters, it is not (seen as) sufficient to drive an overall sustainability program, performance, and the business value derived from sustainable development (Savitz, Chapter 8, Section 8.2). 

Responsible Care has been successful in elevating environmental performance within the chemical industry. It is a notable example of a voluntary industry-wide program where the industry appears to have gained credibility with stakeholders. Some within the industry are comfortable with this as a working model for sustainability program development. 

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