guiding principles for sustainable development practice

Published by CIA - 6 July 2004 for endorsement (see 10 below) by member companies by the end of 2005.

As members of the Chemical Industries Association we are committed to sustainable development. To demonstrate this, and meet the needs and expectations of stakeholders, our activities and behaviours wherever we do business will be guided by these principles.

1 Safe products and operations

Safety is our highest priority. We will deliver products and services that provide benefits to society while ensuring that they are used safely in their intended applications. We will also manage our products and operations in a manner that ensures we aim for the highest possible health, safety and environmental performance.

2 Productivity and resource efficiency

We will strive continually to improve productivity and achieve sustainable profitability through the more efficient use of resources, taking account of the full product life cycle.

3 Innovation

We place a high priority on innovation and will continue to identify profitable new products, processes and business improvement opportunities as a means of satisfying customer needs.

4 Fairness

We will be fair and equitable in all our business relationships.

5 Respect for people and communities

We will treat people with respect and dignity and will listen to and learn from the diverse views of our stakeholders.

6 Working environment

We will create a working environment free from discrimination that encourages people to develop and contribute to the success and sustainability of the business.

7 Openness

We will report on performance and progress towards declared goals and adopt verification processes that meet stakeholders' expectations.

8 Leadership

We will strengthen our individual and collective leadership and thereby accelerate delivery of our contribution to sustainable development.

9 Compliance

We will comply with legal requirements applying to our business and, in addition, adopt voluntary codes of practice where we believe these can help us achieve even higher standards.

10 Endorsement

We endorse these principles and will adopt appropriate management systems to assess our progress towards sustainable development.