American Chemistry Council
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The American Chemistry Council (ACC), formerly known as the Manufacturing Chemists' Association[1] (at its founding in 1872[2]) and then as the Chemical Manufacturers' Association[3] (from 1978[4] until 2000[5]), is an industry trade association for American chemical companies, based in Arlington County, Virginia.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is in charge of improving the public image of the chemical industry. The trade group represents US Chemical Companies as well as the plastics and chlorine industries, formerly known as the American Plastics Council, the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry and the Chlorine Chemistry Council.
The ACC implemented the Responsible Care program in 1988. At least 52 countries have implemented this initiative. It is managed at a global level by the International Council of Chemical Associations.
Some critics believe that the Responsible Care program is intended to help the industry avoid regulation by imposing its own safety and environmental regulations, and to improve its public image in the wake of the 1984 Bhopal Disaster. Defenders of the Responsible Care standard claim the program has improved safety and that its standards are higher than some OSHA regulations.
The ACC has a political action committee that gives money to members of the Congress of the United States.
The ACC's latest initiative is the $35 million "essential2" public relations campaign. "essential2" attempts to improve the industry's image by emphasizing the importance of chemical industry products — especially plastics — to everyday life, and by using the term "American Chemistry" rather than "chemical industry".
Environmentalists and those concerned about the health effects of chemicals in the environment traditionally oppose the ACC's initiatives. They view campaigns like "essential2" as efforts to distract public attention away from products and practices that they view as harmful and dangerous. Among the most vocal opponents are groups such as Pesticide Action Network North America and The Environmental Working Group.
In April 2008, John Dingell launched an investigation of the American Chemistry Council and several related organizations.[6] Named in the letter were several leaders in the chemical industry, including William F. Carroll, former president of the American Chemical Society.
The American Chemistry Council is assiduous about intervening in and shaping public policy discussions when necessary to defend its members' special needs from the effects of legislation. This has proven particularly true when the public interest points to changes in industry practice that might be detrimental to the relative financial success of members. By combining funds from the collective chemical industry as a whole and then using this money to steer public debate, the American Chemistry Council has repeatedly demonstrated its efficiency at obtaining outcomes favorable for the special interests of the chemical industry.
Sometime in 2008, the ACC launched a campaign[7] to oppose California SB1713 — a bill to ban bisphenol A statewide[8] — including bulk postal mailings in July and August encouraging California citizens to demand opposition of their representing legislators.
In July of 2008, the Seattle City Council voted to impose an additional 20 cent fee on each plastic bag purchased from stores by shoppers as a convenience for transportation of goods. This effort was suspended until a referendum could be held in 2009, allowing voters a chance to weigh in on the issue of whether they should continue to be encouraged to support industry by purchasing plastic bags without considering disposal costs. During the period leading up to the referendum vote the American Chemistry Council stepped into this local affair, ultimately spending some $1.4 million on their successful effort to thwart the proposed system of fully accounting for the cost of plastic bags. Since this victory it has been impossible to ascertain if the ACC has insisted that plastic bag manufacturers cease charging for plastic bags sold to Seattle businesses. Thus it is not possible to determine if the ACC's implied campaign promise of "free plastic bags for shoppers" as a reward for voting down the referendum was valid.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008) |
- ^ Ian R. Kenyon and Daniel Feakes, The Creation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons: A Case Study in the Birth of an Intergovernmental Organisation (Cambridge University Press, 2007: ISBN 9067042412), p. 181.
- ^ Manufacturing Chemists' Association, The Chemical Industry Facts Book (Manufacturing Chemists' Association, Inc., 1961), p. 151.
- ^ Cary Coglianese and Jennifer Nash, Regulating from the Inside: Can Environmental Management Systems Achieve Policy Goals? (Resources for the Future, 2001: ISBN 1891853414), p. 64.
- ^ Brian Rothery, Standards and Certification in Europe (Gower, 1996: ISBN 0566076446), p. 129.
- ^ Charles Perrow, The Next Catastrophe: Reducing Our Vulnerabilities to Natural, Industrial, and Terrorist Disasters (Princeton University Press, 2007: ISBN 0691129975), p. 129.
- ^ http://www.ewg.org/node/26261
- ^ http://www.bpafacts.org/
- ^ http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=sb_1713&sess=CUR&house=B&author=migden
