Air Quality
ACC members strive to reduce air emissions associated with chemical manufacturing and to be transparent about their progress. Through Responsible Care®, ACC member companies publicly report their progress in reducing air emissions from their facilities:
- Responsible Care companies report emissions of Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAPs) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. From 2010 to 2019, Responsible Care facilities within the ACC membership have reduced HAPs emissions by approximately 17 percent.
- ACC members track core air quality indicators by measuring facility emissions of sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx). From 2010 to 2019, ACC members reduced SOx emissions by 69 percent and NOx emissions by 30 percent.
Collaborating with Communities
ACC and its members are committed to the safety and security of the communities where we operate, and to support efforts to enhance the availability and accuracy of air quality data.
For example, ACC worked closely with local officials and community leaders in Harris County, Texas, on a ground breaking initiative to enhance the county’s air monitoring capabilities. The initiative was made possible by a $1 million grant from the ACC Foundation to purchase more than 60 new air monitors and support the development of new scientific tools for interpreting air quality data during an emergency.
ACC is working to build on this early success in Texas and is exploring ways to possibly develop similar air monitoring initiatives in chemical manufacturing hubs in other parts of the country.