5 minute read
Fecc offers tools for implementation
REBOOTING RESPONSIBLE CARE
DISTRIBUTION • FECC’S GERHARD AHLBRECHT* EXPLAINS THE TOOLS BEING DEVELOPED TO HELP COMPANIES IN THE CHEMICAL DISTRIBUTION SECTOR IMPLEMENT RESPONSIBLE CARE
ONE OF THE key projects in the course of the ongoing Responsible Care reboot in Europe, spearheaded since 2018 by the European Chemical Industry Council’s (Cefic) Responsible Rejuvenation Issue Team is the development of the Responsible Care Self-Assessment Excel tool. The European Association of Chemical Distributors (Fecc), through its Responsible Care Committee, has adjusted this tool for use by chemical distributors via a dedicated working group combined with the expertise of Arcadis, a global design, engineering and management consulting company based in Amsterdam.
The new tool, which was officially launched for use by chemical distributors in April 2020, paves the way for more European chemical companies – especially small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) at entry level – to join the Responsible Care family while also enhancing the industry’s levels of reputation and trust. It aims to be inclusive, enabling small and large companies or sites, with or without experience in Responsible Care and the associated standards, to get started on the road to performance excellence and to have visibility on how to improve over time.
To achieve this purpose, the tool includes four maturity levels, representing four different levels of Responsible Care implementation: 1.Commit to Responsible Care and start to acknowledge the implementation steps. 2.Initiate and Plan: planning and doing; the organisation has started implementing
Responsible Care throughout its business and plans are made to improve. 3.Improve Continuously: planning, doing, checking and acting; the organisation has reached a level of implementation where plans and actions are not only done but also assessed to drive continuous improvement with a full management system approach. 4.Promote and Sustain Excellence: the organisation has achieved improved performance and effectiveness and is going further by either reviewing that effectiveness or by sharing best practice with peers, partners and other stakeholders to foster resource-building in the industry and accelerate change.
CLARITY AND SUPPORT In a nutshell, the Responsible Care SelfAssessment Tool aims to help companies get a clear view of their own performance, to frame their commitment and to learn through tailor-made tips the steps that can be taken to improve performance. It is designed to facilitate Responsible Care assessment for companies that are already certified against one of the selected ISO standards, while also providing a first gap analysis towards international standards for those companies that are not yet certified. Targeting SMEs in particular, this is a useful way to determine if an international standard is within reach or still too far away.
The self-assessment tool creates insights into where a company stands right now. By carefully filling out the questionnaire, a company can generate a true and reliable assessment of its status or its progress. Finally, the key benefit for a company consists in helping prioritise those topics where improvement is most desired and in supporting the change management process by generating an action plan. Ultimately, the tool covers those processes in which Responsible Care contributes significantly to sustainability.
As a second step, a Responsible Care Self-Assessment Web Tool is currently under development and scheduled for launch in autumn 2020. This will enable stakeholders in the supply chain – manufacturers and distributors alike – to benchmark their Responsible Care performance and monitor continuous improvement at both national and European level. Additionally, multi-site companies can also benefit from this web tool.
These tools connect Responsible Care in Europe to globally recognised standards, such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 45001, ISO 26000 and RC 14001, as well as global sustainability principles including the UN Sustainability Goals. Ultimately, they contribute to a harmonised approach to Responsible Care at the level of the International Chemical Trade Association
(ICTA), the body formed in 2016 to address global issues facing the chemical distribution sector.
THE NEW SQAS By the same token, the revision of the whole Safety & Quality Assessment for Sustainability (SQAS)/European Single Assessment Document (ESAD) system led to the introduction of new questionnaires in 2019; these incorporate new elements, especially in the area of sustainability. Retracing the evolution of the system, it can be observed that there has been a continual expansion from the original scope limited to health, safety and the environment, by adding a ‘Q’ for quality, towards covering security and more recently Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) topics. The latter shows a focus on sustainability, also reflected in the modified SQAS acronym.
To enhance alignment across the whole value chain, a new SQAS Core with ESAD Supplement for chemical distributors was developed, beside the revised site questionnaire.
In this context, a SQAS Task Force, comprising Fecc and other partner associations in the supply chain, is pursuing the objective of promoting the system and to make it fit for the future. SQAS/ESAD, as well as the new Self-Assessment Tool, contain questions on emergency response – another important aspect of Fecc’s European Responsible Care Programme – and, most importantly, representing one of the eight Responsible Care Guiding Principles.
GERHARD AHLBRECHT (ABOVE) SAYS THE NEW TOOLS WILL
BE OF PARTICULAR USE IN HELPING SMALLER COMPANIES
GET ON BOARD WITH IMPLEMENTING AND BENEFITTING
To shed more light on this vital link and to explore the implications for chemical distributors and to provide practical advice, Fecc organised an interactive webinar in cooperation with member company Azelis and co-hosted by the National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) on 12 May. There are exciting times ahead…
*Gerhard Ahlbrecht is Responsible Care and Logistics Manager at Fecc, the voice of the chemical distribution industry in Europe. Fecc represents around 1,600 companies, of which many are SMEs. Fecc and its members contribute to innovation and sustainability, besides adding value in the supply chain, by sourcing, developing, marketing and distributing a wide range of speciality chemical and ingredients to more than one million downstream users ranging across the automotive, electronics, paints, construction, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and nutrition industries, each of which has its own specialised needs. More information on Fecc’s work can be found at www.fecc.org or on social media at @FeccEurope on Twitter.
