A self-activating catalyst.

The chemical industry must position itself for the future not only by demonstrating that its products are safe, but also by communicating with consumers

In the chemical industry, we certainly understand the importance of catalysts in stimulating progress and change. Whether they are catalysts in the form of market forces, technology advancements, e-marketplaces or the actual catalysts we use in our manufacturing processes, I believe our industry can deal with change in two ways. We can react to it and accept a declining role, or we can anticipate it and possibly take the opportunity to expand our influence. Three initiatives showcase the potential of our industry as a self-activating catalyst, our Responsible Care programme, our research efforts, and the work we are doing around sound science to preempt deselection efforts.

Since its inception, 11 years ago, Responsible Care has led to tremendous improvement by the chemical industry in everything from reducing emissions to delivering products more safely. The industry has formally adopted the initiative in 45 countries around the world and is advancing it under the guidance of the International Council of Chemical Associations.

The initial phase of our …