Hexion has implemented product stewardship practices and systems under the guidelines from the International Council of Chemistry Associations (ICCA) for Responsible Care® and the Global Product Strategy. We promote an ethical, pro-active and accountable organization through continuous education and improvement to drive technical competency, efficient procedures, regulatory compliance and effective communication.
Consistent with the principles of the Responsible Care Product Safety (PS) Code, the Hexion PS Group:
- Supports business development through proactive involvement with relevant stakeholders to ensure global compliance, risk management and product safety with regards to existing product lines and innovation (products)
- Educates associates and customers, and provides guidance to ensure products are designed, manufactured, stored, transported, used, and disposed of in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, and as intended, to protect people, customers, communities, and the environment
- Networks with internal and external organizations to anticipate regulatory, industry, societal and value chain trends to effectively manage risk, support business sustainability and anticipate need for product evolution
- Drives the use of science-based advocacy
- Is integrated in the early design phase of new developments and guiding Research and Development teams in the selection of lower hazard raw materials which are fully compliant with applicable regulatory requirements for the intended applications and regions.
Compliance & Crisis Management
Hexion is rigorously screening its product portfolios though regular risk reviews for the presence of substances of concern / very high concern. Hexion’s internal review identifies, characterizes, and prioritizes hazardous substances based on GHS classifications. The PSRA team consults with development and business teams on how to mitigate higher hazard attributes of identified products. Mitigation actions comprise reduction of concentration levels of hazardous substances, substitution with suitable technical alternatives, which are less hazardous substances, or in a few cases, obsolescence of an impacted product.
Screening efforts are further supported by the issuance of regulatory briefs of high-profile substances, i.e. the “Regulatory Bulletins” to aid business teams in safe raw material choices. Our efforts are complemented by continuous monitoring of regulatory substance lists such as the REACH “candidate list”, the “endocrine disruptor list”, the Rotterdam Convention Annex III list (Prior Informed Consent (PIC) substances), the California Proposition 65 list as well as the National Toxicology program on Carcinogens.
For crisis management Hexion is partnering globally with professional service providers such as Chemtrec and NCEC and has provided full data sets to poison information centers. Internally a dedicated team of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) professionals is available 24/7 to respond to any crisis brought forward via the external service providers or an internal Hexion emergency number. Via an interlinked crisis system this team can alert, if needed, anyone from top management to all associates at once, to coordinate the appropriate countermeasures.
Animal Welfare
Hexion is adopting animal-free test regimes where possibly according to the 3Rs principle (Refine, Reduce, Replace), i.e. where animal studies are not mandated by law to ensure the safety of our products to users and the environment. Hexion is continuously following developments in animal-free test methods and is committed to using them if deemed acceptable as reliable test methods by local regulation standards.
Find additional compliance information on REACH: https://www.hexion.com/en-US/company/responsibility/sustainability/reach
Find additional compliance information on GHS: https://www.hexion.com/en-US/company/responsibility/sustainability/ghs
Product Stewardship Summaries
Product summaries for key building block chemicals manufactured by Hexion:
Product Risk Prioritization Process
Hexion has a Risk Assessment Process in place to manage our products safely. All product lines are reviewed periodically. Identified risks are prioritized and actions put in place to mitigate them.
Guiding Products Through Their Lifecycle
Product stewardship is a cornerstone of our sustainability effort. It stimulates innovation within Hexion to improve the way we meet society’s needs with products and processes that are more environmentally suitable and perform better than before. It is a way of thinking and acting responsibly that permeates every aspect of our culture and behavior as a company.
We are committed to understanding the total lifecycle impact of our products and technologies and to supporting scientific research and product safety. We help to educate every part of the supply chain—from our suppliers to our end users—about the safe and proper use and disposal of our products.
Hexion implemented a Sustainability Impact Assessment for all new products we develop. New product approaches are evaluated at the concept stage based on sustainability criteria throughout the value chain, from energy efficiency to societal benefits. Using this discipline, we better ensure new technologies and products improve on the life cycle impacts of existing products for a given application. In addition, Product Stewardship is involved in the early stages of all new product development, so that regulatory, safety and hazard considerations are integrated into the design and development process.
We are invested in the industries we serve. For more than 20 years we have participated in scientific research to improve health and environmental safety. We are a leader in the development of industry standards and test methodologies. We are an active participant in scientific forums. And we initiate hands-on educational efforts with our customers and communities.
Visit the following for more information: www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org and www.BuildingWithChemistry.org
