Responsible Care helps ACC member companies to not only improve their environmental, health, safety and security performance, but also to improve their business operations.
How Responsible Care Benefits ACC Member Companies
The following highlights the variety of ways that Responsible Care participation benefits companies:
- Gaining organizational efficiencies. Responsible Care companies improve efficiencies by taking advantage of existing management systems, rather than creating new ones. The Responsible Care certification process also encourages teamwork by bringing together diverse staff from multiple management teams, including environmental, health, and safety; community relations; shipping; security; regulatory compliance; and purchasing. Representatives from each group can find ways to combine their current systems into one complete, comprehensive management system.
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The access to new partners and industry executives that comes with Responsible Care is invaluable.
--John McIntosh, President of Chlor Alkali Products Division, Olin Corporation |
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- Improved community relations. The Responsible Care program can encourage and improve communications with facility communities and other stakeholders. Responsible Care outreach through Community Advisory Panels can generate positive feedback, and, although it may be difficult to quantify in dollars, strengthen relationships with communities and other businesses.
- Liability protection. Through implementation of the Responsible Care Security Code, which has been recognized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the SAFETY Act as a Qualified Anti-terrorism Technology, ACC members are provided with certain liability protections in the event of a terrorist action at their facilities.
In addition, for many ACC member companies implementation of Responsible Care, specifically the Security Code, has resulted in reduced insurance premiums. Companies should openly discuss such possible benefits with their insurance providers.
- Competitive advantage. Responsible Care facilities have a competitive advantage over non-certified facilities. Responsible Care represents superior environmental, health, safety, security, product stewardship and value chain performance, combined with robust community outreach – a combination not provided by ISO certification.
This competitive advantage will become even clearer as the Responsible Care ethic is spread along the value chain and government entities and stakeholders learn how Responsible Care promotes continuous performance improvements.
- Financial marketplace recognition. Socially Responsible Investing indexes have recognized Responsible Care companies. For example, the FTSE4Good Index, designed to measure the performance of companies that meet globally recognized corporate responsibility standards and facilitate investment in those companies, has found significant overlap between Responsible Care requirements and FTSE4Good environmental criteria.
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Value of Responsible Care Partnership Program
The Responsible Care Partnership Program, in existence since 1993, has steadily grown in value to its participants. Through the Partnership Program, ACC strengthens Responsible Care by extending its risk management practices beyond the factory gate through the transport, storage, marketing, use, recycling and disposal of chemicals; and by promoting the brand and its ethic throughout the entire value chain.
Participating in the Responsible Care program and applying these practices within their companies has helped Partners:
- Create new cross-functional understanding, resulting in increased operational efficiencies within their own organizations;
- Enhance interaction with ACC members (chemical manufacturers) on environmental, health, safety, and security issues;
- Foster use of consistent terminology, which has helped streamline communications on health, safety, environmental and security practices throughout the chemical industry; and Improve dialogue with communities and other stakeholders regarding the safe handling of chemical products.
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Communicating the Responsible Care Value: Performance, Brand, and Relationships
The following fact sheets highlight the value of Responsible Care to key stakeholders, including facility employees and community representatives:
- Responsible Care: Charting the Best Course
Help your employees, your management, and your business partners realize the intrinsic bottom line value of Responsible Care. From operating efficiencies to generating new business, this short brochure takes you beyond environmental, health, safety, and security issues to help guide you into the future.
- Being a Better Neighbor
We’re part of your community. You know we create good jobs and provide important products, but do you know what else we do to be a better neighbor. Responsible Care facilities don’t just tell you. They show you. We’re different and we’re proud of that fact.
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