The UK chemicals industry has taken what it describes as its ‘first step’ towards a strategy for sustainable development by publishing a draft ‘leadership statement’ outlining some basic goals.
The statement, which will now be discussed by 170 member companies of the Chemical Industries Association (CIA), sets out aspirations on social, environmental and economic performance.
It will then be re-drafted, and if approved, would commit the CIA to make ‘every effort to deliver a major contribution to sustainable development’.
The draft statement encourages CIA members – which include ICI, Bayer, DuPont and AtoFina, the chemicals division of Total Fina Elf – to ‘ensure that all business, wherever companies trade, is conducted to the highest global ethical standards.’ It adds they should play ‘an active role in their communities by interacting with schools and local government’.
The statement calls on companies to provide their employees ‘with the opportunity to balance the requirements of their work and life outside work’. It would commit members to more consultation with stakeholders, stating that member companies should ‘listen to the appropriate communities and engage them in dialogue about activities and products’. A section on ‘product stewardship’ would commit them to wide-ranging risk assessments of products, and to involve both customers and distributors in the monitoring of supply chains.
CIA president Barry Stickings said the main challenge for the industry was ‘to spread the benefits of chemicals more widely while preserving resources for future generations.’
He claimed that ‘the most promising way to address this from a UK point of view is for the CIA to give leadership to the chemical industry on sustainable development.’
He said the leadership statement was a ‘first attempt’ drafted in ‘plain words.’ It would now be considered by a CIA sustainable development forum made up of chief executives from member companies.
Although the draft statement is seen as a first foray into sustainability, it will run alongside its 11-year-old Responsible Care programme, which commits member companies to ‘continuous improvement’ in health and safety and environmental performance. The Responsible Care Programme has just been widened to include social and economic issues (EP2, 1999).
The UK chemical industry employs 250,000 people, accounts for 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product, and sold £31billion (€51bn) worth of products during 1999.