ACC hosts forum in Washington to review association's new set of practices that chemical companies are implementing to manage safety of chemicals in consumer products

Mathew Kearney

WASHINGTON , May 22, 2013 (press release) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today hosted a forum on Capitol Hill featuring Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18), chemical industry leaders and other stakeholders to review ACC’s new Responsible Care Product Safety Code—a set of practices that chemical companies are implementing to manage the safety of chemicals in everyday products.

The event, “Chemicals, Consumer Products and Safety,” highlighted actions industry is taking to strengthen the safe management of chemicals throughout the value chain and provide consumers with added confidence in the safety of the products they use every day.

“The Product Safety Code is our industry’s public commitment to our role in the safe management of chemicals,” said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley. “The Code champions transparency, accountability and science-based product development, going above and beyond what is required by law, to foster even greater public confidence in the safety of chemicals.”

“Chemical industry innovations are critical to Pennsylvania’s economy, as well as our nation’s future,” said Congressman Murphy. “Pittsburgh’s chemical companies are developing ground-breaking products and providing skilled jobs that are crucial to strengthening America’s competitiveness and our economic future.”

The Product Safety Code is based on industry best practices and includes a set of 11 requirements that every ACC member must undertake to evaluate and continuously improve product safety performance. The Code also requires companies to provide plain-language information about the chemicals they produce so the public can make informed decisions about the chemicals they use. Implementation of the Code will be validated by independent, third-party auditors starting next year.

Additional participants in the panel discussion included Bill Griesser, Global Director of Product Supply at Procter & Gamble; Andy Hackman, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Toy Industry Association; Neil Hawkins, Vice President of Global EH&S and Sustainability for Dow Chemical; and Terry F. Yosie, President and CEO of the World Environment Center.

This event comes as ACC marks 25 years of its Responsible Care initiative, which has driven improvements in the safe, responsible, sustainable management of chemicals.

The following quotes may be attributed to the panelists:

Procter & Gamble holds the safety of our products as the highest commitment to our customers. We consistently promote research that enhances understanding of product safety, and we look forward to working with leading chemical companies to continuously enhance these efforts.
--Bill Griesser, Global Director, Product Supply, Procter & Gamble

The Toy Industry Association’s first priority is the safety of children and families who benefit from our products. We are pleased the Code also focuses on the safety of children by requiring that chemical companies undertake scientific analyses of every product and how they are used by all consumers.
--Andy Hackman, Vice President, Government Affairs, Toy Industry Association

Dow is providing leadership, across the chemical industry sector and along the value chain, to integrate product safety and sustainability in a holistic way. The strength of this industry lies in all of us working together toward a unified commitment to product safety and sustainability, and the Product Safety Code enables us to move forward together.
--Neil Hawkins, Vice President, Global EH&S and Sustainability, Dow Chemical

Integrating enhanced product safety into core business plans has become a part of the way leading companies do business. With this new Code, Responsible Care is once again demonstrating that it is the private sector’s leading performance initiative. By including a life cycle approach and mandating independent third-party audits into this strengthened commitment for product safety, companies that implement Responsible Care are going beyond current regulatory requirements and serving the needs of the marketplace.
--Terry F. Yosie, President and CEO, World Environment Center 

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