CEFIC Guidelines for the Protection of the Environment

All human activity, including that of the chemical industry, affects the environment. CEFIC believes that the protection of the environment is an integral part of good business practice and that the industry has a duty to satisfy itself that its products are manufactured, handled, transported, used and disposed of safely and without unacceptable risks for the environment. this requires that companies not only comply with the law, but also take independent and responsible actions.

In order to assist in translating these principles into management practices, CEFIC in the framework of the Environmental Guidelines for World Industry established by the International Chamber of Commerce, has prepared the following guidelines for chemical companies:

1. prepare and regularly review at the highest management level company environmental policies and establish procedures for their implementation.
2. foster among employees at all levels an individual sense of responsibility for the environment and the need to be alert to potential source of pollution associated with the operations;
3. assess in advance the environmental implications of new processes, products and other activities, and monitor the effects of current operations on the local environment;
4. minimize adverse environmental effects of all activities, and monitor the effects of current operations on the local environment;
5. take the necessary measures to prevent accidental releases;
6. in cooperation with public authorities, establish and maintain contingency procedures to minimize the effects of accidents that may nevertheless occur;
7. provide the public with the information necessary to enable them to understand the potential environmental effects of the companies' operations and be prepared to respond positively to expressions of public concern;
8. provide public authorities with relevant information and assist them in establishing well- founded environmental regulations;
9. provide appropriate advice to customers on safe handling, use and disposal of the companies' products:
10. ensure that contractors working on the companies' behalf apply environmental standards to equivalent to their own;
11. in transferring technology to another party, provide the information necessary to ensure that the environment can be adequately protected;
12. promote research into the development of environmentally sound processes and products.

(adopted June 1987)