Responsible Care in Argentina and Brazil

Abstract

The chemicals industry is founded on high technology and precision management, is globally integrated, and is driven in large part by a couple dozen transnational goliath such as Dow Chemical, BASF, and DuPont. The industry has been under intense pressure for decades to reduce toxic emissions, waste, and other negative by-products of chemicals use. With these characteristics, and with strong motivation, the industry—which also features highly competent collective associations at the global and national levels— should be capable of implementing a very successful global environmental regime. Indeed, its own publications and reports declare that it has. However, as with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a close look at the operations, size, and strength of national regime chapters in developing countries paints a different picture.

I tell you one thing. If there is a big industrial environmental disaster, a big accident or scandal, not only in Argentina but anywhere, they will look closely at the preventative system in place, all these audits and certifications, and these programs like Responsible Care, and it will be very bad for all of them.

Manager at a local subsidiary of a U.S. chemicals company, October 13, 2004