Moscow, 30 January 2014. Dmitry Konov, SIBUR's CEO, and Viktor Ivanov, President of the Russian Chemists Union, signed an agreement for SIBUR to join the Responsible Care programme.

Responsible Care is a global, voluntary initiative of companies committed to continuous improvement of their health, safety and environmental (HSE) practices. The mission of the programme is to drive corporate responsibility in the chemical industry and to create a favourable environment for its sustainable development.

Members of the programme are required to report their HSE performance to a national professional body (the Chemists Union – in Russia), carry out HSE audits, including those performed by international auditors, implement social development projects and enhance their social responsibility. Responsible Care members follow the Responsible Care guidelines in their business practices.

Viktor Ivanov said: "The global Responsible Care initiative has found support among major Russian companies and has made a real difference in improving their HSE performance. Joining the programme is an appropriate and timely step for SIBUR, the leader of the Russian petrochemical industry firmly committed to constantly enhancing its HSE processes."

Dmitry Konov said: "SIBUR's membership in the Responsible Care programme proves our commitment to continuously improving the company's HSE practices and working environment and promoting the safety culture across SIBUR's businesses and regions of our operations."

Responsible Care has been acknowledged by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as an initiative that contributes towards sustainable development targets for chemical companies and the chemical industry as a whole.

56 countries and 90% of chemical manufacturers around the world are part of this global initiative. 28 Russian companies have joined the programme so far. 

For Editors:

Responsible Care guidelines

1.    We consider environmental protection, health and safety of employees and communities and efforts aimed at minimising the HSE issues to be an essential and an integral part of our activities.

2.    We educate, train, and motivate our employees to take a responsible approach to HSE activities.

3.    We are committed to minimising emissions and improving our resources and energy efficiency.

4.    We continuously monitor and analyse our performance to identify and mitigate health, safety and environmental risks.

5.    We analyse the impact new processes and products may have on the environment, health and safety of our employees prior to their adoption or launch.

6.    We keep the regulatory bodies informed of our activities and their potential impact on the environment, health and safety of employees and the community.

7.    We keep the community and other stakeholders informed of our production activities and products and efforts to ensure environmental protection, health and safety of the community and respond to their concerns and worries on a continuous basis.

8.    We advise our customers on safe use and disposal of our products.