AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL

RESPONSIBLE CARE®
PRODUCT SAFETY CODE OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Updated and Approved by ACC Board of Directors: June 8, 2022

Purpose and Scope

Chemistry is a source of innovation that can contribute to a healthier, safer and more
sustainable future. From solar cells, wind turbines and rechargeable batteries to air filters, water
purifiers and disinfectants, chemistry enables us to enhance public health and quality of life,
save energy and reduce pollution.

The American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) Responsible Care® companies develop and
manufacture a broad portfolio of chemical products, ranging from industrial chemicals used as
raw material building blocks to make other chemical products, to specialty chemicals tailored
for unique applications, formulations, and consumer products. Product safety and product
stewardship are shared value chain responsibilities, and each company has a distinct and
essential role to play. At each stage in the value chain, protecting public health, safety, and the
environment is embraced as a core value.

ACC Responsible Care companies are committed to a culture of continual improvement in

product safety and product stewardship for each stage of the product’s lifecycle and review
product safety and reduce risk, as appropriate. As part of this commitment, ACC and its
members created this Responsible Care Product Safety Code, which sets forth a set of practices
to not only manage chemical product safety but enhance it as part of our industry’s signature
health, safety, security, and environmental management system. The Code reinforces
Responsible Care’s legacy of product stewardship that goes beyond regulatory requirements,
which is a foundational tenet of the program since its inception.

The Responsible Care Product Safety Code sets forth our commitment to a strong culture of
product safety and product stewardship and provides a comprehensive framework to drive
innovation and continual improvement. Implementation of this Product Safety Code is a
requirement of all ACC Responsible Care companies.

Management Practices
The Product Safety Code requires that companies include product safety and product
stewardship as part of their management systems. Product safety management requires an
understanding of intended product uses, a science-based assessment of potential risks from
products, and consideration of the opportunities to improve product safety and product
stewardship along the value chain and throughout the product’s lifecycle. A key component of
managing product safety by parties in the value chain is exchanging information regarding
product hazards, intended uses, handling practices, exposures and risks. Product stewardship is
the responsibility to understand, manage and communicate the health and environmental
impacts throughout the lifecycle of chemical products.

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Implementation of the following management practices enables chemical manufacturers to
systematically evaluate, demonstrate and continually improve their product safety performance,
while also enhancing information exchange throughout the value chain that can enhance
sustainable innovations and public knowledge of and confidence in the safe use of chemical
products.

Each Responsible Care company’s management system will include the following product
safety and product stewardship management practices:

1.0 Leadership and Culture

Senior leadership is committed to maintaining a culture of product safety and product
stewardship throughout the organization.

Senior leadership will:

1.1 Engage with, support and endorse the organization’s product safety and product
stewardship program to promote the achievement of objectives;
1.2 Demonstrate its commitment to product safety and product stewardship and drive
continual improvement through words, written policies, actions and internal and external
communications;
1.3 Allocate resources to achieve the organization’s product safety objectives; and,
1.4 Encourage openness in raising concerns and identifying opportunities for product safety
and product stewardship improvements.

2.0 Accountability and Management

Accountability for product safety and product stewardship responsibilities is clearly
established throughout the organization.

The Organization will:

2.1 Identify functions and roles that contribute to product safety and product stewardship
performance which may include research and development, sustainability, innovation,
engineering, business management, product development, marketing, sales, procurement
and customer service;
2.2 Establish training or education for employees relevant to their product safety and
stewardship roles and responsibilities; and,
2.3 Maintain accountability for product safety and product stewardship performance.

3.0 Prioritization of Products

Organizations employ a science and risk-based process that considers available hazard and
exposure information with company identified intended uses to prioritize products that may
need further evaluation, data generation, information gathering or risk management
controls. This process should include periodic reviews and be updated as appropriate for
continual improvement.

The Organization will:

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 3.1 Establish criteria to screen and prioritize products in its portfolio using a science- and
risk-based approach that incorporates relevant, credible scientific advances and
considers new information and emerging issues;
3.2 Apply these criteria to identify products within its portfolio that may require additional
evaluation, risk assessment or risk management controls;
3.3 Apply these criteria to identify products within its portfolio that may require additional
data development or information gathering to support additional assessment; and,
3.4 Maintain documented information on its prioritization decisions, actions resulting from
prioritization decisions and the prioritization methodology.

4.0 Product Information to Assess Product Risk

Organizations develop and maintain information on new and existing products to support
risk characterization and risk management, including information on safety, health,
environmental hazards, company-identified intended uses and exposures.

The Organization will:

4.1 Identify, develop and maintain information, as needed, to support product risk
characterizations based on the company-identified intended use(s) for the product;
4.2 Utilize existing information and appropriate assessment techniques such as ACC’s
science policies and principles to determine when additional information on hazards,
company-identified intended uses and exposure is needed; and,
4.3 Develop additional hazard, use and exposure information if necessary to adequately
characterize product risks.

5.0 Product Risk Characterization

Organizations characterize product risks based on information collected on hazards,
company identified intended uses and exposures associated with the stages of a product’s
lifecycle.

The Organization will:

5.1 Use a repeatable process with defined criteria for risk characterization that considers
the product prioritization process and results;
5.2 Consider company-identified intended downstream uses and exposures to people and
the environment;
5.3 Use available valid, reliable and relevant scientific studies and information, giving
such studies and information appropriate weight, to characterize product risks
associated with relevant levels of exposure under expected conditions of use;
5.4 Modify product risk characterizations when appropriate based on substantive new
information on hazards, company-identified intended uses and exposures; and,
5.5 Maintain documented information on product risk characterization results.

6.0 Management of Product Safety Risks

Organizations identify, implement, document and communicate health, safety and
environmental measures to manage risk so that products can be used safely for their

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 intended purposes.

The Organization will:

6.1 Develop, implement, document and communicate processes to appropriately manage
health, safety and environmental risks of its products, taking into account the
feasibility of value chain implementation. A range of options should be considered
and may include labeling, handling instructions, training, engineering and design
controls, use restrictions and/or reformulations; and,
6.2 Evaluate substantive new information on hazards, company-identified intended uses or
exposures and determine if modifications to risk management processes are warranted.

7.0 Consideration of New Product Safety Information

Organizations identify and evaluate new information that may trigger changes to risk
characterizations and product risk management actions. Such triggers may include
significant new product safety and product stewardship information, including hazard, use
and exposure information and emerging issues.

The Organization will:

7.1 Establish processes that enable new information to be identified and establish when
and how to elevate product safety and product stewardship issues within the
Organization; and,
7.2 Consider new product safety information from internal and/or external sources.

8.0 Product Design and Improvement

Organizations foster a culture of continual improvement in product safety and product
stewardship for each stage of the product’s lifecycle and have a documented and science-
based process to review product safety and to reduce risk, as appropriate.

The Organization will:

8.1 Incorporate principles that take into account health, safety, and environmental
impacts of the product, its manufacture, packaging, distribution, storage,
transportation and uses as appropriate; and,
8.2 Commensurate with risk and as appropriate, identify and act on opportunities for
improvement in product safety and product stewardship, considering factors such as
intended use, expected product lifetime, durability, reuse, recyclability, resource
efficiency, end-of-life management and societal benefits.

9.0 Value Chain Engagement

Organizations work with their value chain to foster product safety management and
exchange information. The value chain may include suppliers, customers, processors,
formulators, contract manufacturers, carriers, distributors, contractors, third-party logistics
providers, waste managers and recyclers.

Commensurate with risk and as appropriate and practicable, the Organization will:

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 9.1 Review its value chain participants based on Responsible Care or other health, safety,
security and environmental performance criteria and reassess as appropriate;
9.2 Share information on relevant health and environmental effects of its products and on
their safe handling, transport and use;
9.3 Establish a process to share and receive relevant product safety and product
stewardship information;
9.4 Facilitate the dissemination of information obtained from its value chain to relevant
staff to support product prioritization, risk characterizations, risk management
decisions or other related activities; and,
9.5 Take corrective action based upon its judgment, to resolve improper product safety
practices by a part of its value chain.

10.0 Transparency
Organizations make relevant product safety and product stewardship information publicly
available.

The Organization will:

10.1 Make product safety and product stewardship information publicly available to
enhance sustainable innovations and public knowledge of, and confidence in, the
safe use of chemical products, while protecting confidential information of
individuals and businesses; and
10.2 Establish a process to receive and respond to relevant product safety and product
stewardship inquiries.
11.0 Continual Improvement
Organizations monitor and assess product safety and product stewardship to drive continual
improvement.

The Organization will:

11.1 Periodically assess the effectiveness of its product safety and product stewardship
management system including progress to achieve the Organization’s product
safety objectives;
11.2 Identify, implement and document actions to improve its product safety and product
stewardship management system, as appropriate; and,
11.3 Share results with relevant personnel and senior leadership.

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 Document Control

Version Modifications Date

01 Original Version November 2012

02 Text reformatted with decimal-numbered clauses and June 2022

enhanced clarity of implementation expectations.