In the work promoting health, safety and environmental protection the best results are achieved when all the players share the same goal. In the voluntary Responsible Care programme the aim is continuously to find workable models that support this partnership.

For its part the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland supports the introduction of Responsible Care in new countries. Examples of this are the national programmes of the Baltic countries. In creating these programmes Finnish know-how has played an important part. The programmes by Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were accepted into the international Responsible Care family in autumn 2004. The most recent example illustrating the progress of environmental, health and safety issues took place in 2005, when an agreement with the labour market organizations in the Russian chemical industry was signed. The agreement promotes cooperation in improving occupational and environmental safety and supports the introduction of best practices in Russian companies of the field.

On a national level the voluntary work by companies, aiming to improve environmental, health and safety issues, is best realized as shared, inter-company goals and as seamless cooperation throughout all organizational levels. In spring 2003 a decision to engage in national, association-level cooperation was made. The cooperation aims to monitor and develop the practical implementation of the Responsible Care programme. The cooperation parties are the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland, Chemical Workers Union, the Union of Salaried Employees (TU) and Federation of Professional and Managerial Staff (YTN). The agreement is unique in Europe and builds on the party organizations’ shared vision of developing health, safety and environmental issues.

The partnership between the chemical industry and its customers turns into practice in the form of responsibility for the product and its safe use. The Product Stewardship approach provides companies with tools that help secure safe usage throughout the product life-cycle. The mutual utilization of best practices becomes possible as the chemical companies know their customers’ operational conditions and engage in continuous and close cooperation with them. This partnership yields the best results when made on voluntary basis.