In response to the chemical industry's growing interest in sustainability practices, the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) plans to address the issue during a national conference featuring Dr. M. Sam Mannan, a chemical engineering professor and an acclaimed safety expert.

Hosted by SOCMA's ChemStewards program, the 2011 EHS&S and Sustainability Conference will focus on the concept of sustainability and how it is defined for small and medium-sized chemical companies. Speakers from the U.S. government, academia, and industry will address the issue from a practical standpoint and cover how companies are changing their business models accordingly.

"ChemStewards was founded on the principles of sustainability and continuous improvement six years ago," said SOCMA's ChemStewards director J. Holland Jordan, Ph.D. "To that end, we decided to bring the best and the brightest in the industry together to discuss the immediate impact of sustainability on their business and what changes they intend to make in the future."

Dr. Mannan, who will deliver the keynote address, is regents professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at Texas A&M University and director of the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center. He is highly visible within the process safety community and well-known throughout the chemical industry worldwide. He is the recipient of numerous recognitions and awards and is recognized as one of the best minds on chemical process safety.

The conference will be held on May 18 at the Hilton America's in Houston, in partnership with the Informex Specialty Conference.