October 1, 2009

2 Min Read
RCU Hosts ICCA Responsible Care Meeting on Chemicals Management and Product Stewardship

Representatives of the world’s leading chemical companies and national associations completed three days of workshops to reduce the chemical industry’s footprint, enhance chemicals management, and promote product stewardship best practices worldwide. The meeting was hosted by the Russian Chemists Union (RCU).

The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), the global voice of the chemical industry, held its Responsible Care Leadership Group (RCLG) meeting in Moscow in recognition of the growing importance of Russia’s chemical industry and the progress being made by the RCU in furthering the Responsible Care ethic. Representatives from more than 40 nations shared ideas and learned about ICCA’s Responsible Care programs in Asia, North and South America, the Gulf Region, Western and Eastern Europe, and, of course, Russia. 

Since its inception in 1985, Responsible Care has been the chemical industry’s premier environmental, health, safety, and sustainable development performance initiative which today is implemented by 53 chemical associations worldwide. RCLG Chairman Peter Cartwright, Dow Corning’s vice president, executive director for environment, health, and safety, explained, “ICCA recognizes the responsibility of chemical producers to improve stewardship throughout the supply chain and report openly on their progress to the public and other stakeholders. Through Responsible Care, that’s what we work together to achieve. 

“ICCA members are committed to capacity building among all our members, helping to ensure that best practices are shared and utilized worldwide. Our Moscow workshops will help companies and associations meet the rising expectations of their stakeholders regarding safety, the environment, health, and sustainability.”

The workshops included guidance for publicly reporting data on performance collected under ICCA’s Responsible Care and the Global Product Strategy initiatives, part of industry’s commitments to the U.N.’s SAICM (Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management) program.

For RCU president Victor Ivanov, this week’s meeting was a historic milestone. “The RCU is committed to world class production, chemicals management, and product stewardship here in Russia,” he said. “The opportunity to host this meeting reflects the recognition of our global colleagues and their appreciation of how hard we are working to fulfill the requirements of Responsible Care.

“This was our first opportunity to host an RCLG meeting. We look forward to additional opportunities to showcase the accomplishments of Russia’s chemical companies.”

For more information about Responsible Care, visit www.responsiblecare.org. To learn more about ICCA and the RCU, visit http://www.icca-chem.org and www.ruschemunion.ru, respectively.

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