Global Product Strategy : ICCA GLOBAL CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT POLICY

ICCA GLOBAL CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT POLICY

Preamble

The chemical industry provides benefits to society through innovation, its products and continuous improvement in their management.  The chemical industry has taken a proactive role in the safe management of chemicals by building on company Product Stewardship programs and the industry’s Responsible Care^®, High Production Volume (HPV) Chemicals and Long Range Research initiatives.

The chemical industry recognizes the need for a sufficient knowledge base to assess health, safety and environmental effects of chemicals and to assist users and governments in managing their risks.  The provision of this knowledge base and continuous improvement in the safe use of chemicals globally requires joint and co-ordinated activities between producers, distributors, users, governments and other stakeholders, based on shared responsibilities at each relevant stage of the chain of commerce.

A high level of cooperation between producers and governments has already been achieved in global chemicals issues, notably the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and the International Council of Chemical Association’s (ICCA) HPV Chemical Initiative. 

To enhance safe handling of chemicals and further cooperation and coordination, this proposed policy suggests fundamental elements of an approach that would evolve from the current systems for chemicals management.  The aim is to foster greater consistency and transparency around the globe in chemical management decisions both within industry and among governments; and to better enable those decisions to effectively respond to potential risks associated with chemicals. 

Considering the differences in national or regional societal, economic and political conditions the ICCA recognizes the need for flexibility in advancing this strategic approach at the country and regional levels, particularly in prioritising issues of concern, and in relationships between industry and government in implementing the strategy.  Thus, the proposed policy represents a global approach, but leaves considerable flexibility to address regional, cultural and societal differences, including the relative role of governments in chemicals management.

Vision

Public confidence in the safe management and use of chemicals will be enhanced by a global system of industry and government decision-making that is risk-based, consistently applied, practical, timely and transparent, and takes account of stakeholder needs, thus realizing the benefits of chemistry to society.

Policy

The industry continues and promotes industry initiatives and cooperative programs like LRI, ICCA HPV Initiative, and the Responsible Care^® program, and wishes to build on the lessons learned, particularly through cooperation between industry and national, regional and interna­tional government programs.

The industry supports the development and implementation at the country or regional levels of chemical management systems that rely on effective cooperation between producers, distributors and users of chemicals and governments, with global consistency in basic concept and fundamental approach. 

These systems should apply a stepwise, practical and timely decision process that is based on sound scientific data and takes into account appropriate levels of hazard, use and exposure information in a risk characterization model as well as feasibility of implementation.  They should consider societal benefits, address necessary actions in a consistent manner, should not inhibit legitimate trade and commerce, and should support innovation.

These systems should provide for the generation of priority-setting, risk characterization and management information regarding the safe uses of chemicals.  They should be founded upon a science and risk-based management approach and, for prioritised chemicals, provide any necessary additional information generated according to a tiered information development and assessment framework. Appropriate and meaningful information should be placed in the public domain, taking due account of the need to safeguard the commercial interests of companies.

For chemical uses determined to have relevant level of risk concern, these systems should rely on a step-wise approach for efficient risk characterization and management.  The systems should promote cooperative efforts among producers, distributors and users of chemicals, and governments; and also provide for sharing information among the chain of commerce, governments and other stakeholders, while protecting legitimate corporate interests in technical or commercial information

The policy should be the basis for a consistent global approach, to be implemented regionally and/or nationally in ways that support innovation, avoid duplication, and maximize the sharing of knowledge.  Implementation of systems in specific regions and countries should consider the differences in national or regional regulatory approaches, societal, economic and political conditions; but should recognize the shared obligation of producers, distributors, users and governments in the safe management of chemicals.  Further, implementation should minimize the imposition of potential barriers to trade and should be consistent with the rules of international trade.

These national and regional systems should each yield consistent and predictable risk management decisions that protect against health and environmental risks while ensuring continued societal benefit from the safe uses of chemicals, and promote public confidence in the system.  Implementation of this approach should help the industry promote the contribution of the chemical industry to society, and the benefits of chemical products.

Objectives

The main objectives of the chemical industry’s global policy on chemicals management are:

1.        To provide benefits to society through the safe use of chemicals.

2.        To promote a process by which the chemical industry continues to manage its products responsibly, and can demonstrate to stakeholders that it is doing so.

3.        To promote innovation, and continuous improvement of chemicals management.

4.        To provide the information and data (a knowledge base) for assessing health, safety and environmental effects of chemicals and their intended uses, sufficient to:

°         prioritise chemicals that should be focused on first in a consistent manner.

°         promote and contribute to the understanding of health, safety and environmental related scientific issues on chemicals.

°         promote further minimization in the use of animals in testing.

5.        Take risk-based and cost-effective chemicals management measures to pre­vent human health and environmental effects, consistent with the precautionary approach as set forth in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

6.        Take risk reduction measures, including where appropriate limitations on use, or even phase-outs of specific uses of chemicals where unacceptable risks are not otherwise manageable, in a manner that is proportional to the risks and mindful of the benefits of a particular chemical in the context of its use.

7.        Within each country or regional system, to ensure that the information and a risk-based management process are consistently applied, including to those chemicals or non-chemical alternatives that are being considered in the context of risk management options.

8.        To contribute to and strengthen activities to improve the safe use of chemicals globally, in particular by working with governments and intergovernmental organizations on implementation of a risk-based decision process.

9.        To strengthen and maintain the chemical industry’s economic performance and competitiveness.

Recommended Elements 

Chemical producers, distributors, users and governments have a shared obligation in the safe management of chemicals.  The ICCA global chemicals management policy contemplates that an appropriate balance of the respective responsibilities will be determined subject to national or regional circumstances.  Regardless of where that balance is struck, however, certain elements should be expressly provided for.  Beyond the general elements outlined above, these include:

·        Apply systematically the information on use, exposure and hazard  to understand the basic health and environmental effects of the chemicals produced, distributed or used.

·        Continue to develop and improve screening criteria and risk characterization tools, and apply them appropriately in priority setting processes.

·        Prioritize existing chemicals based on use and exposure patterns in the context of a chemical’s hazards, and in particular to identify priorities for risk characterization and management.

·        Characterize the risks of chemicals wherever necessary along the chain of commerce, and communicate relevant information so that all parties producing, distributing or using the chemicals can contribute appropriately to such assessments and apply them to manage risks and foster the safe handling and use of chemicals.

·        With involvement of industry, government and other committed stakeholders, establish policies regarding acceptable levels of risk, and develop and validate new, alternative methodologies for evaluating hazard and exposure, characterizing risk, and evaluating emerging scientific issues.

·        Reassess chemical risks in light of new or additional information, including new testing technologies and emerging health or environmental concerns that represent a consensus among experts as requiring additional action, new uses and new forms of exposure.

·        Provide information along the chain of commerce to assist in characterizing risk, and provide a process for developing necessary additional information that is not currently available.

·        Support public access to appropriate and meaningful information, while protecting legitimate corporate interests in technical or commercial information.  Although the exact mechanisms of public access may differ, the system should provide sufficient information to demonstrate that the risks of chemicals have been considered and relevant action taken.  The public should have access to information that puts hazard information into context with exposure information.

·        Promote mutual acceptance of screening and risk characterization information and data among governments in order to avoid unreasonable duplication of effort.

·        Minimize the use of animals in testing by assuring maximum use of existing information and assisting in developing and validating new, alternative test methodologies.