Responsible care history
Responsible Care is a worldwide initiative developed by the chemical industry and is a commitment to continuous improvement in all aspects of safety, security, health and environmental performance. RC enables businesses to make a strong contribution to Sustainable Development.
The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) has laid down the fundamental features of RC and sets the prime objectives of the programme for the chemical industry. The programme includes eight fundamental features:
- Establish and Implement a set of Guiding Principles that member companies sign
- Adoption of a title and logo that are consistent with Responsible Care
- Implement management practices through a series of systems, codes, policies or guideline documents to assist companies in achieving a better performance
- Develop a set of performance indicators against which improvements can be measured
- Communicate with interested parties
- Share best practices through information networks
- Encourage all association member companies to commit to and participate in RC
- Introduce and apply systematic procedures to verify the implementation of the measurable elements of RC by member companies
Cefic, as a member of ICCA, ensures that its members national federation programmes in Europe conform to these fundamental features and objectives.
On 23rd October 2008, an agreement was signed by the ECTA President and the Director General of Cefic. It was agreed that ECTA will implement the Responsible Care principles into the European land transport industry. Officially launched in February 2009, it was the first European wide Responsible Care program.