The Responsible Care® Partnership Program enables meaningful extension of the Responsible Care ethic and its commensurate continuous improvement efforts beyond America’s chemical producers to include their supply chain partners – including their customers, carriers, distributors and others engaged in the business of chemistry.
Companies responsible for chemical transportation, distribution, storage, use or treatment and disposal are eligible to become Partners. Companies that are significantly engaged in chemical sales, marketing and logistics may also be eligible. At present, there are approximately 73 companies participating in the ACC Responsible Care Partnership Program, raising the EHS&S performance bar for all operations and business activities involving products manufactured by ACC member companies.
Responsible Care Partners adhere to the same Responsible Care requirements as members of the American Chemistry Council. This means that each Partner company, no matter where it might operate within the chemical industry’s supply chain, must apply the Responsible Care management system to relevant portions of their operations; obtain independent certification that the system has been fully implemented and functions according to professional standards; measure and publicly report performance; and implement the Responsible Care Security Code.
For business contact information for each Partner, please see the 2008 Partner Guide.
Value of Partnerships
The Partnership Program has been in existence since 1993. Within the past four years, however, as the Responsible Care management system has been implemented, the Partnership Program has steadily grown in value to its participants. Supply chain partners of ACC members are clearly identifying and capturing the value of subscribing to similar principles and working with operating systems based on common technical specifications and definitions of crucial EHS&S elements. Partners have noted that participating in the Responsible Care program and applying Responsible Care excellent practices within their companies has:
- Created new cross functional understanding resulting in efficiencies in operations within their own organizations;
- Enhanced interaction between ACC member (chemical manufacturer) and Responsible Care Partner company key personnel on environmental, health, safety, and security issues;
- Fostered use of consistent terminology with resulting streamlining of communications on health, safety, environmental and security practices throughout the chemical industry; and
- Consistently enabled and encouraged improved dialogue with communities and other stakeholders regarding the safe handling of chemical products.
Click here for a Partnership Program Application.
Click here to see a listing of the ACC Responsible Care Partner Companies.
