What direction will the chemical industry’s responsibility activities take in the 2030s? New focus areas for the Responsible Care programme

Responsible Care, a voluntary responsibility programme in the chemical industry, has been a pioneer in responsibility for three decades now. Maintaining this position calls for a systematic and continuous evaluation of the direction in which the programme should be developed.

The new focus areas of Responsible Care maintain the programme’s practicality, while strengthening the industry’s attractiveness. The new focus areas are:

• Effective voluntary proactivity
  In the changing operating environment, the ability to see around the corner is a key to success. Responsible Care helps companies develop their competence in proactivity and preparation, and measure the complicated safety environment. This will give rise to the ability to develop more sustainable and safer products and processes.
• Nature positive and climate neutral chemical industry
  Our goal is to be a nature positive and climate neutral chemical industry in Finland by 2045. The chemical industry is a key enabler of a sustainable future.
• Data as a developer of responsibility
  Operations without any data are irresponsible operations. If there were no data, it would be impossible to evaluate responsibility and its development. Data must be easily available, and reporting must be purposeful, lead the industry forward and pass through the whole value chain. Responsible Care provides companies with a comprehensive reporting package.
• Diverse working life
  We are working actively to promote diverse working life models and career paths. Our goal is that competence development matches companies’ needs and climate goals. As a result, we will be an attractive industry which offers desirable jobs.

These focus areas will carry the programme to the 2030s. The focus areas of Responsible Care were last modified in the 2010s.

“Responsible Care has maintained its vitality as a result of its solid base of indicators and, above all, because the programme and its focus areas have been developed together with industry companies,” says Salla Roni-Poranen, Managing Director of Borealis Polymers Oy and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland.

“As a chemical industry company, we are proud to be part of Responsible Care. It gives us not only accurate indicators, but also an important network and cooperation opportunities to develop our responsibility activities and share best practices,” Roni-Poranen says.

How were the new focus areas prepared?

In Finland, Responsible Care is coordinated by the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland which, during 2022, held several stakeholder events and workshops to define the new focus areas. Participants in these events included specialists from chemical industry companies, representatives of the Finnish Industrial Union, Trade Union Pro and the Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff YTN, decision-makers, and environmental organisations.

What will happen next?

Each focus area’s measures, training content, indicators and possible projects will be planned and implemented as part of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s activities. The more detailed content and schedule will be defined separately during the next few years. The focus areas offer the themes to be addressed in the chemical industry’s responsibility activities. The steps to be taken for the themes will be defined next. This will be done in cooperation between the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s committees and member companies, as well as trade unions.

 

Further information

Johanna Pentjärvi

Senior Advisor, Responsibility
+358 40 570 3920
johanna.pentjarvi@kemianteollisuus.fi