Devin Heinlein
Wanda Angel
Kent State University
David DuBois
Keep this story going! Share below!
ChemSpec implements comprehensive life-cycle assessments (LCAs) to ensure compliance with standards (e.g., REACH and TSCA) as well as provides heightened value to clients and demonstrates responsible community leadership. They seek high-quality, low-impact products to reduce cost and improve benefits, and they act as a knowledge base to clients by promoting cleaner additives in the chemical industry.
While ChemSpec's immediate concern is meeting regulatory requirements, they wanted to go beyond the required law to ensure their products were truly sustainable. To address this concern, they began to incorporate life-cycle assessments (LCA) into their quality assurance process to provide customers some insight into their products and to internally develop a more holistic understanding of their total environmental impact.
Parent company, Safic Alcan, promotes independent local leadership, so ChemSpec retains control over how to pursue sustainability initiatives for both themselves and their clients. Taking advantage of this independence and Safic Alcan's familiarity with international environmental regulations, ChemSpec adheres to the more restrictive rules of the EU across all of their distribution channels, preparing, in advance, for the eventuality of stringent global regulations. By developing REACH-certified products before they are required, ChemSpec has positioned themselves as an industry leader and knowledge center for clients who also trade internationally.
At its present rate of consumption, the global population in 2050 will require the equivalent of nearly three times Earth's resource capacity. Monitoring our utilization is an important initial step toward reducing our impact on the planet, but equally important is a reconsideration of what we consume.
Most production requires the use of harmful chemicals throughout the manufacturing process, and our disposal methods introduce considerable waste into the environment. Today, 8.3% of all deaths and 5.7% of the total burden of worldwide disease are related, in part, to chemical exposure. Governments are taking notice of the societal harm unfettered chemicals can cause by introducing regulatory programs such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) in the EU and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in the US. In response, manufacturers are increasingly seeking more environmentally-friendly chemicals for use in their products.
ChemSpec is committed to providing for the responsible distribution of economically and environmentally viable specialty chemical products. When first introduced to international regulatory policies by their parent company, Safic Alcan, ChemSpec executives did not see restrictions or strategic hurdles, but rather a unique opportunity for growth. Following their company’s motto of “think global, act local”, ChemSpec realized that the use of cleaner chemicals was a chance to engage their customers and their business partners in developing a responsible community.
As described by ChemSpec’s COO and CFO, Richard Dee, “When part of the world is concerned about the environment, even if the rest of the world is not adopting the same policies, [the situation] increases attention and makes clear expectations of what should be expected across the market."
As part of Safic Alcan’s global network, ChemSpec products reach millions of customers in more than 50 countries worldwide. Partnerships with chemical giants such as DuPont and Dow broaden the need for sustainable products across an ever-growing market and further emphasize the need for responsible production and consumption.
By using more sustainable additives, ChemSpec has reduced mixing time and energy consumption while providing greater value to their clients with higher product uniformity and lower costs. Offering products that recycle and reduce chemical additives consumes less energy and material and also creates a more desirable product offering for their clients. For example, when clients use fewer chemicals in their manufacturing processes, they are required to control less waste disposal and environmental mitigation.
Through local leadership, ChemSpec has invested in educating their clients about the need to procure more sustainable products. “Our customers come to us because we have more knowledge with REACH products,” Dee explained. “That makes their life easier in the industry.” By acting as a knowledge resource and information partner, ChemSpec involves companies in a dialog about the use of sustainable chemicals as an important differentiating factor. Whenever a harmful chemical is taken “off the shelf” and replaced by a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative, there is a significant environmental impact and potential cost savings.
Get stories of positive business innovations from around the world delivered right to your inbox.
ChemSpec Ltd is a local distributor for Safic Alcan, an international manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Safic Alcan has partnerships with chemical distributors in more than 50 countries including the U.S., Mexico, European Union, Middle East, and China.
Safic Alcan promotes a “think global, act local” mentality among their distributors, which ChemSpec incorporates into their business model as a responsible party to their community. The parent company manages relations across their subsidiaries to facilitate efficient and ethical practices, uniformity, and ease of trade.
Both companies recognize the impact that specialty chemical products can have on the environment and society. As an employee-owned, employee-operated company committed to the UN Global Compact, Safic Alcan and their subsidiaries like ChemSpec take pride in their position as community leaders.