GPCA Responsible Care Product Stewardship Award
To encourage its member companies to enforce Responsible Care as a way of doing business GPCA in 2014 decided to award the companies having best practices in any of the seven management codes. As a result each member companies were asked to complete a self assessment form and submit to GPCA. NATPET was awarded by GPCA as the company having best practices in implementing the Product Stewardship Code.
The reason I have included this in my award list is that being part of NATPET Product Stewardship team I was given the responsibility to complete the Self assessment form. I was the focul point also due to my nature of job description as Product Application Analyst under Product Application Department.
To share the best practices of each winning companies within its member companies, GPCA decided to organize one work shop and invited the companies to nominate their speakers for the workshop. I was selected to represent NATPET as a speaker along with my Manager Incharge and thus share NATPET's Product Stewardship best practices. The work shop was held on 11-12th March, 2015 in Dubai, UAE.
Below are some highlights of NATPET best practices in line with the twelve management practices of the Product Stewardship Code:
NATPET top management is a signatory to the Responsible Care Global Charter and the Product Stewardship Code Implementation commitment
Clear accountability of goals and responsibilities through Responsible Care committee within NATPET headed by top management. Goals under product stewardship is broadly divided in to plant goals (such as safe workplace) and product (such as product quality, improvement)
NATPET's Commitment of resources such as human, financial, IT, etc.
Identifying and maintaining HSE information of products through Product information documents, such, Technical Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet and Regulatory Compliance Product Declaration documents
Characterizing risks from products through lab tests evaluations, regulatory compliance tests, Food contact tests, etc.
Risk management through testing the new and existing products for applications where there is more risk to humans and environment, e.g. testing for suitability to food contact materials, automotive application interior and exterior, medical and health care bio compatibility tests, flammability test, material strength test, etc.
Defined procedure to develop new products or improve existing products, like Periodic technical exchange meeting with Licencors technical team, products improvement and new product development and pre-marketing test to make ready for compliance to regulations
Regular training session designed for internal training , Training session carried to educate employees about Safety Data Sheet and regulatory compliance document, training session to educate employees about our products, process, applications and Employee feedback questionnaire is conducted to evaluate effectiveness of our training programs
Communicating with distributors and downstream users about products' proper handling, storage and disposal through safety data sheet, training and awareness sessions at the customer facility or during exhibitions, having process for customer feedback and complaint handling about products and services.
Responsible Care® (RC) 14001 is the chemical industry’s global initiative to drive continuous improvement and achieve excellence in environmental, health, safety and security performance. Responsible Care® commitment comes from the top management of a company.
Responsible Care embraces the development and application of sustainable chemistry, helping our industry contribute to sustainable development while meeting the world’s growing need for essential chemicals and the products those chemicals make possible.
Launched in 1985 by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, and practiced today in around 60 national chemical manufacturing associations and thousands of chemical manufacturing sites worldwide, Responsible Care is an essential part of ICCA’s contribution to the United Nations’ Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).
Responsible Care® Guiding Principles (PDF)
GPCA RC 14001 history and objectives
In December 2009, the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Board of Directors formally adopted the Chemical Industry’s initiative called ‘Responsible Care®’.
Responsible Care® was created in 1984 by the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association, with the clear intent of establishing the following goals:
Improved chemical processes.
Enhanced practices and procedures.
Reduction of every kind of waste, accident, incident, and emission.
Reliable communication and dialogue.
Heightened public scrutiny and input.
Responsible Care® is underpinned by GPCA through the implementation of Management Codes as indicated below:
Each of the above Codes includes technical processes called Management Practices. The Management Practices provide specific technical requirements and guidance for Companies to fulfill their responsibilities in terms of Responsible Care® and can be used as a self-assessment tool.
GPCA RC Product Stewardship Code of management practices
This Code is composed of twelve Management Practices and each can be summarized as below
Leadership by senior management
Clear accountability of goals and responsibilities and performance measurement against these goals
Commitment of resources
Identify and maintain information on Health, Safety and Environmental hazards from new/existing products
System to characterize and re-evaluate risks for products based on the above HSE information
Develop system to implement risk management actions
Design, develop and improve products and processes to reduce hazard impact throughout product life cycle.
Educate and train employees as well as to have an employee information feedback system
Use contract manufacturers who have sound HSE practices
Company shall provide appropriate HSE information and guidance on their products to the suppliers
Company shall provide HSE information to distributors. Distributors perform a broad range of functions, from repackaging the original product to reformulating it into a new product with new HSE characteristics
Provide HSE information to direct product distributors and to downstream users for proper storage, handling and disposal of products.