News Release

NACD and ACC Sign Agreement Regarding Responsible Distribution Process and Responsible Care® Initiatives

ARLINGTON, VA – June 11, 2009 – The National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) signed an agreement today to closely cooperate in the promotion and performance of their respective environmental, health, safety, and security (EHS&S) initiatives, Responsible Distribution Process^SM (RDP) and Responsible Care®.

“The Memorandum of Understanding we signed today is important,” said NACD Chairman Bruce Schechinger, President of BHS Marketing LLC, Salt Lake City, Utah, “because it emphasizes our common goals and ethics under our two programs to continually improve our EHS&S performance and to work with our communities. We look forward to the synergies this relationship will provide our member companies and their suppliers.”

Chris Jahn, NACD President, commented, “NACD believes that the chemical industry will be strengthened by a closer working relationship between our two organizations. Actions will include exchanging information on respective initiative progress and seeking mutual training opportunities to promote RDP and Responsible Care implementation along the supply chain.”

The objective of this Agreement is to recognize and support the continued communication and support between the manufacturers and distributors of the two organizations and the success that these respective programs have had and will continue to demonstrate.  Each represents a different component of the same supply chain.  Responsible Care and RDP are complementary to each other and help ensure chemical products are protected through to the downstream users. 

Dave Weidman, Chairman and CEO, Celanese and ACC Chair of the Board of Directors stated, “By recognizing areas of consistency between NACD’s Responsible Distribution Process and ACC’s Responsible Care initiative, we hope to create the best value for participants and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of both programs.”

“ACC and NACD share a common commitment to safe product stewardship through the value chain,” said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley.  “Through Responsible Care, ACC members have reduced reportable distribution incidents by 43 percent since 1995 while chemical shipments increased by 16 percent. We expect the efforts under this partnership to result in continued improvement in EHS&S performance with greater efficiency among our members and Responsible Care Partners.”

About NACD Responsible Distribution Process (RDP)

NACD’s RDP program, a third-party verified management practice, was developed by chemical distributors in the United States in 1991.  RDP provides a guideline for member companies to protect the environment, promote health and safety of employees and community members, enhance product stewardship, and ensure the security of its facilities and products.  Successfully demonstrating, through on-site verifications, implementation of EHS&S policies and procedures under RDP’s Code of Management Practice to an independent third-party verifier has been a condition of membership in NACD since 1997.  RDP Verification (RDPV) is required once every 36 months.  The current three-year cycle ends June 2010.

About ACC Responsible Care

Since 1988, the U.S. chemical industry, through ACC, has implemented Responsible Care, an award-winning performance initiative that has resulted in emissions reductions of 80 percent and a worker safety record that is four times safer than the average of the manufacturing sector as a whole.  Companies implementing Responsible Care are required to implement a management system and have it certified by independent third-party auditors.  Responsible Care helps America’s leading chemical companies go above and beyond governmental requirements and openly share their progress with the public.

NACD represents more than 85% of the chemical distribution facilities in the nation and 90% of the industry’s gross revenue.  In the distribution of chemical products, NACD members directly create more than 20,000 jobs, deliver more than 71.7 billion pounds of chemical product, and drive more than 175 million miles while reporting 19% less reportable spills, fewer lost work-days, and 14% less occupational accidents than non-member distributors.  NACD and its nearly 250 chemical distribution member companies have established themselves as leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of the Responsible Distribution Process (RDP), established in 1991 as a condition of membership in NACD.  For additional information, visit NACD’s Web site to learn more — http://www.nacd.com/.

Learn more about Responsible Care.