a global chemical manufacturer

 

Stepan's Product Stewardship Plan

 

Stepan Company is a member of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC’s member companies, through ACC’s participation with the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), are actively engaged with the Global Product Strategy (GPS). GPS, which is designed to meet United Nation's Strategic Approach to Chemicals Management, is an innovative program to improve product stewardship within the chemical industry and with suppliers and customers throughout the chain of commerce. Companies engaged in GPS, including Stepan Company, are committed to make relevant product stewardship information on chemicals in commerce publicly available.

 

Our product stewardship summaries are intended to give general information about the chemical or categories of chemicals addressed. They are not intended to provide an in-depth discussion of health and safety information. Additional information is available through the chemical’s applicable Material Safety Data Sheet which should be consulted before use of the chemical. The product stewardship summary does not supplant or replace required regulatory and/or legal communication documents.

 

Stepan Company has prioritized the chemicals we manufacture and are using this tiered approach to create our product stewardship summaries. Product stewardship summaries will be completed first for those chemicals identified as being a high priority. To determine whether a chemical is classified as a high priority, several criteria were examined. Stepan Company first reviewed if the chemical was included in an area of high concern under national and/or international regulation. Examples of chemicals that fall under national and/or international regulation include those that are considered to be PBTs (Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic), CMRs (Carcinogens, Mutagens, and Reproductive Toxins), and those restricted by other regulations or international conventions. Stepan does not have any PBTs or CMRs. Approximately three percent of Stepan Company's chemicals are restricted by other regulations or conventions. Another factor used to determine high priority chemicals was hazard level, including those that are highly flammable or corrosive. Approximately three percent of Stepan Company's chemicals are in this category.

 

Throughout the coming years, product stewardship summaries will be prepared for all chemicals manufactured by Stepan Company, with emphasis placed first on those identified as a high priority. Stepan Company's current product bulletins already include much of the information to be contained in the product stewardship summaries.  Over time, all of these product bulletins will be amended to include any additional product stewardship detail, and a statement will be included at the end of the bulletin to indicate as such. Stepan Company’s product bulletins can be found under the ‘Products’ tab on Stepan Company’s website.