Given the increasing and widespread practice of sustainability among member companies of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA), ChemStewards will present its first-ever Sustainability Award at the association’s 90th annual dinner December 5, 2011, in New York.

ChemStewards is SOCMA’s flagship environmental, health, safety, and security (EHS&S) continuous performance improvement program.

“When SOCMA’s Board of Governors established the ChemStewards program in 2005, it was based on the principles of sustainability,” said Dr. J. Holland Jordan, director of ChemStewards. “Since the beginning, ChemStewards has monitored metrics such as energy efficiency, hazardous waste generation, and other safety-oriented parameters.”

Earlier this year, SOCMA’s Board of Governors added a greenhouse gas metric to the ChemStewards program, which will be reported by members in 2012.

With the addition of the new metric and award, members are now being formally recognized for the practices they have implemented for years to reduce their carbon footprint.

Members who apply for the award will be judged in terms of their sustainable goals, cost/energy savings, greenhouse gas reductions, and best practices. Only one facility will be presented with the Sustainability Award, and members do not have to apply for a Performance Improvement Award to qualify.

The Sustainability Award application is web-based, and all entries must be received by September 30, 2011.

“ChemStewards is based on continuous improvement,” Jordan said. “This means not only within our members’ facilities, but within the ChemStewards program itself. We will continue to ensure that ChemStewards meets the needs of our members, the chemical industry and the environment.”
 
For more information, visit www.socma.com.