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Dramatic Changes And Challenges This guest editorial is by Frederick L. Webber, who has served as president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council for the past 10 years. He retiresfrom ACC at the end of October and reflects here on changes in the chemical industry during his tenure.
T
HE PAST YEAR HAS TURNED MANY OF
our preconceived notions upside down. Security and corporate responsibility, for instance, have been redefined by recent events and are forever changed. In the past decade, an equally striking series of trends has transformed the landscape of the chemical industry We simply are not the same industry we were 10, or even five, years ago. Not only have mergers and acquisitions shrunk the industry, but the companies that remain are organized differently, and our industry has continued to globalize. There may be fewer companies, but we now reach a larger part of the world. With increased globalization comes additional responsibility. U.S. legislation and regulations are affected by what is happening in other parts of the world. We now participate in public policy debates in countries where we manufacture and export our products. For example, through the International Council of Chemical Associations, we have developed a Global Chemicals Management Policy to guide the stewardship of our products globally. More than ever, our industry is concentrating on those issues that transcend our national borders, languages, and cultures. We have brought together the world's chemical industry leadership to discuss common challenges in an ongoing Global CEO Dialogue. And this year, our industry played a significant role at the World Economic Forum and the recently concluded U N World Summit on Sustainable Development, where our environmental, health, and safety initiative, Responsible Care, was recognized as a leading example of voluntary industry action. We take our leadership role seriously. In this era of better understanding of our products and their relationships to human health and the environment, we have embarked on a number of programs and initiatives. Among these are the High Production Volume Initiative and the Long-Range Research Initiative. And, while ACC has always been an advocacy organization, we have bolstered
our advocacy efforts considerably during the past decade. For example, we have participated in the appropriations process, successfully advocating increased research funding that will make more recent data available to EPA and the public. We also have scored some notable wins for our industry, from the Chemical Weapons Convention to the passage of trade promotion authority Domestically and abroad, partnership increasingly has been the name of the game. ACC partners with its members, and they in turn work together in pursuit of their common goals. Through ACC, our members work with governments and other industries and associations—such as the American Chemical Society—around the globe. In the wake of 9/11, for instance, we have partnered with the Department of Homeland Defense, FBI, EPA, and numerous other federal, state, and local government organizations to enhance industry security During the 130 years of its operation, ACC has changed as well. Our most recent opportunity is this year's merger with the American Plastics Council, which combines the two groups' research, technical, advocacy, and communications capabilities into a new ACC. Change has positioned our industry to address future challenges. Our work in getting the Chemical Weapons Convention passed gave us the credibility that now helps us partner with the federal government in implementing our industry's Security Code. And building on our past performance will enable us to take on even greater challenges with our research and testing programs and with Responsible Care. In the midst of all these changes, one thing is certain: The industry likely will look quite different in another five years. As I pass the torch to incoming ACC President and C E O Greg Lebedev, I look forward to hearing about the many future accomplishments of our industry. Frederick L. Webber American Chemistry Council
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS. HTTP://PUBS.ACS.ORG/CEN
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