Responsible Care in Chemistry

Abstract

Chemical industry through its products facilitates the human life. Its achievements, conditioned by scientific progress and research, predominate over the damages caused by chemical production and products. The consequences of the damages lead in the general public to reservation and mistrust in chemical industry. The unclear hazard in using some common substances and fear of further development lead the European Commission and national administrations to extraordinary legal and economic regulations of marketing chemical substances and preparations. The low trust in chemical industry in the globalization period has no frontiers. The chemical industry of the Czech Republic encountered its consequences in preparation and fulfilling of regulations of new chemical legislation. The world chemical industry unites its power and financial means, and demonstrates its self-control by accepting and fulfilling obligations in the frame of the programme Responsible Care and by purposeful research of hazard associated with most frequently used substances. The credibility of enterprisintog being of primary importance must be proved. Therefore chemical industry expends substantial financial means and requires that the principle of preventive safety be used in making decisions only exceptionally, in the cases where convincing arguments are still missing. The chemical industry in the Czech Republic, which strives for continuous sustainable development, has no alternative to following the partners - competitors in developed countries. The approach leads to „total" cooperation within the plant and to openness to stimuli from without. Such strategy is a challenge both for top managers of plants and those intellectuals who care about the fate of chemical industry in the Czech Republic.