Started in Canada in 1985, Responsible Care is a global, voluntary initiative developed autonomously by the

chemical industry The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, the chemical industry converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, ...

for the chemical industry. It runs in 67 countries whose combined chemical industries account for nearly 90% of global chemical production. 96 of the 100 largest chemical producers in the world have adopted Responsible Care. The initiative is one of the leading examples of

industry self-regulation Industry self-regulation is the process whereby members of an industry, trade or sector of the economy monitor their own adherence to legal, ethical, or safety standards, rather than have an outside, independent agency such as a third party entit ...

and studies have shown it has not improved the industry's environmental and safety performance.

History

Responsible Care was launched by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (formerly the Canadian Chemical Producers' Association - CCPA) in 1985. The term was coined by CIAC president Jean Bélanger. The scheme evolved, and, in 2006, The Responsible Care Global Charter was launched at the UN-led International Conference on Chemicals Management in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

. Today, the program is stewarded by the International Council of Chemical Associations.

Goals

According to the chemical industry, the goal of the program is to improve health, safety, and environmental performance. A 2007 study concluded that the primary goals of the initiative are to change low public opinion and concerns about industry environmental and public health practices of the industry, while also opposing stronger and more expensive legislation and regulation of chemical products, even if warranted. The signatory chemical companies agree to commit themselves to improve their performances in the fields of

environmental protection Environmental protection, or environment protection, refers to the taking of measures to protecting the natural environment, prevent pollution and maintain ecological balance. Action may be taken by individuals, advocacy groups and governments. ...

, occupational safety and health protection, plant safety, product stewardship and

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

, as well as to continuously improve dialog with their neighbors and the public, independent from legal requirements. As part of Responsible Care initiative, the International Council of Chemical Associations introduced the Global Product Strategy in 2006.

Criticism

The initiative has been studied as one of the leading examples of

. The program has been described as a way to help the chemical industry avoid regulation and to improve its public image in the wake of the 1984

Bhopal disaster On 3 December 1984, over 500,000 people in the vicinity of the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India were exposed to the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate, in what is considered the world's worst ind ...

. A 2000 study concluded that it demonstrates how industries fail to self-regulate without explicit sanctions. The study demonstrated that plants owned by RC participating firms improved their relative environmental performance more slowly than non members. According to a 2013 study, between 1988 and 2001, plants owned by RC participating firms raised their toxicity-weighted pollution by 15.9% on average relative to statistically-equivalent plants owned by non-RC participating firms.

References

External links

Responsible Care web siteThe Global Product Strategy pdf
Chemical industry {{Environmental-org-stub