The Global Product Strategy (GPS), an initiative developed by the International Council of Chemical Associations and launched in 2006, builds on the product stewardship elements of industry’s voluntary Responsible Care initiative. GPS aims to improve the safe management of chemicals, harmonize approaches between developing, emerging and industrialized regions, and strengthen public confidence that our products are handled safely at all stages of the life cycle. Together with the Responsible Care Global Charter, the GPS positions industry as a constructive contributor to the UN-led Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
Since its launch in 2006, the industry has devoted considerable resources to developing tools and activities under the Global Product Strategy, ensuring that the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) can demonstrate to stakeholders that it is making concrete progress towards improved chemicals management.
For European companies and associations, chemical management activities under GPS are driven by the REACH legislation and timelines that came into force in June 2007. A complete REACH dossier virtually fulfills GPS obligations, so, for example, chemicals assessment is following REACH priorities and enabling preparation of GPS Safety Summaries using information in the dossiers
GPS Safety Summaries provide easy-to-understand information on general risk characterization and risk management for chemicals in commerce. Companies will publish them both on their websites and on the new ICCA GPS IT Portal, a public database which went online in October with over 1,200 summaries. The first major tranche is expected to be ready in Europe during 2011 under the industry goal of making a substance summary available on the portal within one year of the REACH registration deadline
With the help of ICCA and experts from larger chemical firms, Cefic is providing companies with support and tools to facilitate the conversion from REACH dossier to Safety Summary. Cefic has tailored broader GPS implementation in Europe to ensure that activities undertaken by its member associations and their member companies are fully compatible with REACH legislation and do not duplicate efforts.
Improving transparency
The GPS enables associations and their members to provide vital support for companies with limited experience in risk assessment and related methodologies, particularly SMEs. The ICCA Guidance on Chemical Risk Assessment was published in June 2010 and is mainly aimed at smaller companies as well as developing regions. The guidance is intended as a “living document” to be improved over time, based on feedback provided among others by user companies, from capacity building workshops.
This is just one of the tools developed to help companies fulfill their commitment to perform risk assessment under GPS, define safe use conditions and, if necessary, implement risk management measures so that safe use conditions are met
These and future developments undertaken as part of the Global Product Strategy demonstrate Cefic’s commitment to improve transparency and increase stakeholder confidence in the European chemical industry and its products
Aims and Activities under the Global Product Strategy
The Global Product Strategy is a capacity-sharing exercise working towards:
- Increasing knowledge of substance hazards
- Ensuring the correct handling and use of chemicals across the value chain and across geographical boundaries by providing relevant and reliable information
- Improving transparency by helping companies provide stakeholders with information about marketed chemicals in an easily understandable format (GPS Safety Summary)
- Reducing differences in the safe handling of chemical substances between developing, emerging and industrialized countries.
Under GPS companies are preparing risk assessments for substances in commerce by 2018 to support safe use throughout their lifecycle. In addition companies will provide access to information in a suitable format to co-producers and customers to increase public confidence.