Responsible Product Management
Chemicals management includes a broad range of efforts and practices to ensure the safe and environmentally sound manufacturing, distribution, handling, and disposal of chemical products. These practices encompass the entire product life cycle, including:
- Determining products hazards, either by applying existing scientific knowledge, computational approaches and/or testing;
- Evaluating potential exposures of products for their intended applications;
- Identifying opportunities to manage risks to human health and the environment; and
- Supporting governmental programs by providing product information to proper authorities, for example, via registration, notification, or any post-market reporting schemes.
At Dow, we strive to develop, manufacture, transport, and market our products responsibly. We work to ensure that our products are handled safely and recycled or disposed of properly. We also welcome appropriate governmental review of our operations and products.
Compliance with Product Regulations
Dow supports consistent and coordinated product regulations at the global, national, and regional levels to complement industry's voluntary product stewardship efforts and to ensure a level playing field. When new or updated regulations are implemented, it is Dow's position that they should be based on established scientific risk-based (hazard + exposure) principles to support safe conditions for use throughout the product life cycle. Further, when requirements are established, they must be enforceable.
Regulations should rely on risk assessment and risk management principles that are predictable, flexible, and capable of responsibly addressing society's economic, environmental and safety requirements.
Further, Dow supports the International Council of Chemistry Associations (ICCA) principles of regulatory cooperation to facilitate trade, effectively use resources and improve industry’s competitiveness, while maintaining high safety standards.
Transition to a More Sustainable Planet and Society
At Dow, we believe that sustainable chemistry is an innovative process providing sustainable solutions to critical global challenges. At the core of our 2025 Sustainability Goals and our Safer Materials focus area is a drive to increase confidence in chemical technology.
Dow continuously works to increase confidence in the safe use of chemical technology through transparency, dialogue, collaboration, research, and our own actions. We engage with stakeholders throughout the chemical industry’s value chain, including chemists, toxicologists, regulators, brand owners, retailers, non-governmental organizations, and consumers. We also advocate for effective chemical management regulations across the globe, with a focus on international regulatory cooperation, ensuring that regulations are targeted, flexible and positioned to be inclusive of new product safety technologies.
Industry Leadership in Responsible Care
Dow is dedicated to serving as a leader in the chemical industry. During the past several years, Dow has co-led efforts within ICCA to continue the advancement of chemicals management initiatives, including the industry’s Responsible Care® Global Charter and Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).
Dow is committed to responding to the increasing customer and market requests for transparency of safety information as part of our open and transparent chemistry initiative to build confidence in product safety. To learn more about Dow's product stewardship program and chemical management policies, visit Customer Support.
Last revised March 2023