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Performance Track Signs Agreement with ACC & SOCMA
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On June 30, 2004, EPA entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) that establishes a partnership between the Responsible Care initiative and EPA’s National Environmental Performance Track (‘Performance Track’) program, the agency’s leading voluntary program for recognizing and rewarding outstanding environmental performance by participating facilities.
Responsible Care is the leading chemical industry environmental, health, safety and security (EHSS) performance initiative that advances many of the same goals as Performance Track. The objective of the Agreement is to advance environmental performance throughout ACC and SOCMA member facilities, and to increase awareness and recognition of the environmental results already achieved through Responsible Care.
Specifically, the MOA between Performance Track, ACC, and SOCMA:
- Recognizes that the EPA National Environmental
Performance Track Program and the Responsible Care
initiative share many of the same foundational
principles including an emphasis on continuous
improvement, effective management, sustained
compliance, collaboration for results, and
transparency of operations.
- Streamlines the Performance Track application for
certified facilities participating in Responsible
Care, and simplifies the planning of site visits and
audits whenever possible.
- Commits ACC/SOCMA to: 1) work for a higher level
of participation in Performance Track; 2) consider
EPA’s views on additional performance indicators
and metrics, and 3) continue to leverage the
Responsible Care program as a vehicle for continuous
environmental improvement.
- Recognizes that 3rd party certification under
Responsible Care meets the Performance Track EMS
criteria (based on a careful assessment of both
programs).
- Integrates Responsible Care audits with
Performance Track site visits (to the extent
possible).
- Creates a framework for future collaboration on
indicators and metrics for both programs.
Visit Memorandum of Agreement Among EPA, ACC, and SOCMA (PDF 2.2MB) to view the MOA and its specific provisions.