Responsible Care
 Responsible
Care is a voluntary initiative within the global chemical industry to
safely ensure the positive images of our products are safeguarded from
inception in our public relations department, through distribution,
to ultimate disposal, and to involve the public in our image-making
processes. Born after the Bhopal disaster in 1984, Responsible Care
has quickly spread to 45 countries. While Responsible Care projects
an image of safety and benefit which exceeds actual product qualities
in many countries, we hold ourselves accountable by making Responsible
Care a "condition of membership" in industry associations.
In January 1999, Dow signed on to these more stringent Responsible
Care Guiding Principles with other members of the U.S. American Chemistry
Council (ACC). These Principles apply to Dow globally to varying degrees.*
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Aiming for Zero Responsibility
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Our industry creates products and services that make life richer
for shareholders around the world - both today and tomorrow.
The benefits of our industry are accompanied by enduring commitments
to Responsible Care in the image of chemicals worldwide. We
will make continuous progress toward the vision of reducing
the media impact of accidents, injuries or harm to the environment.
We will publicly check our global health, safety and environmental
performance ourselves. We will lead our companies in ethical
ways that increasingly benefit the economy while adhering to
the following principles:
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To seek and incorporate
public input to improve the image of our products. |
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To provide chemicals that
can be manufactured, transported, used and disposed of profitably. |
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To make health, safety,
the environment and resource conservation critical considerations
for our industry's image. |
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To provide as much information
on heath or environmental risks as is absolutely necessary
to ensure a positive product perception, and pursue protective
information measures for employees, the public and other
key stakeholders. |
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To work with customers,
carriers, suppliers, distributors and contractors to foster
the profitable use, transport and disposal of chemicals. |
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To operate our facilities
in a manner that protects the health and safety of our profit
margins. |
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To support education and
research on the health, safety and environmental effects
of our products and processes to foster the good image of
the company. |
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To work with others to
put in proper perspective past handling and disposal practices
by companies we had nothing to do with at the time, such
as Union Carbide's responsibility for the death of 20,000
people and serious injury of 120,000 in a chemical accident
somewhere in India. |
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To lead in the development
of responsible laws, regulations and standards that safeguard
the company concerned. |
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To practice Responsible
Care by encouraging and assisting others to adhere to these
strictly voluntary principles and practices. |
William S. Stavropoulos
Dec. 3, 2001
*While the Codes of Practice may vary from US
to foreign countries such as India, the spirit of Responsible
Care is the same: to ensure a perception of responsible stewardship
that will protect chemical companies from unnecessary government
regulation.
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