Chemical Industry Leaders Launch New Charter Strengthening Commitment to Safe Chemicals Management
Leaders highlight progress toward SACIM 2020 goals at high-level event at ICCM4
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, October 1, 2015 – Tonight, at the Fourth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM4), the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) will publicly launch its updated and strengthened Responsible Care Global Charter, which aims to unite global chemical companies under a unified system of performance management.
To date, 517 chemical industry leaders have pledged support for the Global Charter. The list of signees includes more than 85 percent of the world’s top 100 petrochemical and chemical manufacturers.
Also joining these companies in their commitment to continuous improvement are more than 400 small- and medium-sized companies that operate globally. In addition, thousands of other domestic companies participate actively in Responsible Care through national and regional trade associations.
CEOs from leading global chemical companies will convene this evening for The SAICM Journey to 2020 and Beyond, a high-level side event at ICCM4. The CEOs will highlight the significant growth in Responsible Care, both in its strengthened performance commitments, as well as its expansion to more than 60 nations around the globe.
Responsible Care is the global chemical industry’s unifying commitment to the safe management of chemicals throughout their life cycle. Through Responsible Care, companies around the world report their progress on a series of environmental, health and safety performance indicators and commit to continuous improvement and contributing to solving the world’s sustainability challenges.
“Managing our products safely all through their lifecycle is part of our license to operate as chemical companies. Responsible Care brings the chemical industry together in support of this common vision for sustainable chemicals management under the renewed Global Charter,” said Jean Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay and ICCA executive sponsor for the global Responsible Care initiative. “We are very proud to have built up this extensive network of companies practicing Responsible Care, but our steadfast goal remains – to reach 100 percent participation, so that our entire industry is united in this cause.”
Highlighting industry contributions to SAICM
The second part of the side event will feature leaders from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), chemical industry, and the NGO sector, who will discuss the collective progress toward meeting the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) 2020 goals and the chemical industry’s continuing contribution to these targets.
“Industry’s efforts to build capacity in nations without even basic chemical management practices are what we are most proud of and where we believe we have made and can continue to make the greatest progress under SAICM,” said ICCA President Mark Rohr, CEO of Celanese. “By prioritizing this work, we can support not only sound chemicals management, but also overall economic development and advances in public health.”
Since SAICM was established in 2006, through ICCA the chemical industry has:
- Expanded Responsible Care to over 60 countries and thousands of global chemical companies, including in Russia, the Arabian Gulf and China.
- Conducted 172 capacity building workshops around the world to enhance the ability of local industry to manage chemicals safely.
- Published more than 4,600 product safety summaries on the ICCA website to provide consumers with more information about chemicals.
- Developed a Regulatory Tool Box to highlight bet practices, particularly for developing nations.
- Partnered with UNEP from 2010 to 2014 to build capacity specifically in Africa to safely manage chemicals.
“Despite this progress, we know there is more work to do. That is why we support extending the SAICM multi-stakeholder approach beyond 2020 to drive further gains in sound chemicals management and sustainable development,” Rohr said.
Side Event Details: The SAICM Journey to 2020 and Beyond
Host: International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA)
Date/Time: Thursday, October 1, 2015, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CET
Location: Centre international de conference Genève, Conference room 5-6
Find us on Twitter: @ICCAatICCM4
Onsite Media Contact at ICCM4
Jenny Heumann, ACC, Jenny_Heumann@americanchemistry.com, 1-202-549-4839
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About ICCA
The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) is the worldwide voice of the chemical industry, a sector with 2014 turnover of more than €3.6 trillion (excluding pharmaceuticals). ICCA’s Responsible Care® members account for more than 90 percent of this total. The promotion and coordination of Responsible Care and safe chemicals management through the Global Product Strategy, international climate negotiations, government and business partnerships, regulatory affairs, stakeholder outreach, advocacy and communications are key areas of focus for the Council. Learn more about ICCA at www.icca-chem.org.