Responsible Care

Chemistry is totally embedded in our daily life and its development is one of the conditions of progress for man and community. However all economical activities have an impact on the environment.

Responsible Care is a philosophy which subscribes to the principles of an ecological development. To work towards a safe distribution of chemical products is a must for all parties involved or concerned.
It is a leading thread which brings us in contact with all activities within a company. It is also a commitment to a policy of responsible and conscientious management.

The BACD Belgian Association of Chemical Distributors approves all the principles which are at the base of the philisophy of Responsible Care.
Hereby all the members of the association are committed to do their utmost to ensure a continuous improvement in their actions regarding safety, health and the protection of the environment.

The program Responsible Care is followed all over the world. In Europe the program is controlled by CEFIC and in Belgium by essenscia. The BACD is committed towards essenscia, to apply the totality of this program such as they have formulated it.

BACD Responsible Care Certificate.
Members of the BACD who apply the principles of the European Responsible Care Programme conscientiously in their company philosophy are awarded with the BACD Responsible Care Certificate.
The program Responsible Care contains different stages, which are to be applied by each of our members.

1. A commitment by the management of the company to apply the 8 basic principles.
2. To appoint a Responsible Care Coordinator, RCC, in the company.
3. To carry out, on a regular basis, an audit (assessment) in order to verify to what extent the rules of RC are followed, applied and improved. A third party verification TPV.
4. Once a year, to respond to the questionnaire concerning the Indices de Performance (IoP) demanded by the BACD. On the basis of the supplied data, one will, at a later stage, be able to measure the efforts made by the industry and the distribution sector and establish valid statistics.
5. Foresee a program to continuously have improvements.

The BACD recommends as typical audit system, the SQAS Distributors/ESAD, because this type of assessment is published and accessible to all players in the industry.
However for certain medium and small enterprises, the SQAS/ESAD type is not necessarily very practical. It is why the BACD has compiled a document for a SELF ASSESSMENT audit.

This document Self Assessment with guidelines can be downloaded from our website.

A Third Party Verification TPV of the Self Assessment can be easily audited in combination with existing certification standards like e.g. ISO 9001, as they have many points in common. When audited together (by SGS e.g.), the time needed for Responsible Care can be reduced.  

EIGHT GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Member companies are committed to:

1. Legal requirements.
   Conform with all legal regulations and requirements and should operate in accordance with both government and industry codes of practice and guidance associated with heir chemical activities.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 5.1.a
   
2. Management of risk.
   Ensure that their activities do not present an unacceptable level of risk to employees, contractors, customers, the public or the environment.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 7.5.
   
3. Policies and documentation.
   Have written documentation, which covers their activities, and ensure that their health, safety and environmental policies reflect their commitment to A Joint Responsible Distribution/Responsible Care Programme as an integral part of their business strategy.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 5.3. and 4.2.
   
4. Provision of information.
   Provide relevant health safety and environmental information on company products and activities to employees, contractors, customers, statutory bodies and the public.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 5.1. – 7.2. – 7.4. and 7.5.
   
5. Training.
   Ensure that all employees are aware of their commitment and provide the training necessary to enable them to be involved in the achievement of health, safety and environmental objectives.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 6.
   
6. Emergency response.
   Establish and maintain an appropriate emergency response system.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 7.5.3. – 8.5.2. and 8.5.3.
   
7. Ongoing improvements.
   Support and participate in those activities that will improve the quality of their own operations and strengthen health, safety and environmental consciousness and awareness.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 8.5. and 5.6.
   
8. Community interaction.
   Maintain an awareness of and respond to community concerns that relate to their activities.
   ISO 9001 : Par. 5.5.3. – 7.2.3. and 7.4. .

The BACD regularly supplies information and news re Responsible Care, on its website.