Hitting the road in Germany

The German chemical industry is showing signs of abandoning its skeptical attitude toward Responsible Care in favor of an increasingly positive one. While BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, and other multinationals such as Henkel have been active for some time, little progress has been made by the small and medium-size companies that make up over 90% of the German Chemical Industry Association's (VCI) 1,600 members, but that is about to change. The VCI Care program is gaining momentum and aims to convince members - many of which see the initiative as just one more costly burden for an already over regulated sector - that Care is the way forward. VCI has taken the approach that Care is a major contribution to sustainable development, placing the program's emphasis on environmental protection.