The Chemicals Management Module is a strategic roadmap companies can adopt to better manage the chemicals used in their products.

The Chemicals Management Module will help you protect your brand reputation and minimize your company risk by uncovering the right information needed to adhere to regulatory chemical requirements.

I like the Chemical Management Module developed by the Outdoor Industry Association OIA. It provides a starting point for companies to benchmark, establish and improve chemicals management processes as part of an overall management system. It also provides guidance to any company, in any industry, that wants to start managing the chemicals used to create their products.

The first step of the Chemicals Management Module is to do an internal chemicals management assessment. The results remain confidential, although aggregate data will be captured by the OIA to encourage their membership towards the greater adoption of the Chemicals Management Module, (applicable if you are an OIA member). A technical background is not necessary to do the assessment; however implementing an action plan may require some level of technical expertise.

Benefits of Conducting a Chemical Management Assessment

Clearly the greatest benefits of developing a chemical management strategy are to minimize company risk and protect brand reputation. In addition I have included some other more tactical benefits below.

• It is the beginning of a dialogue to understand the chemicals used in products and supply chains both internally and with manufacturers and chemical suppliers.

• It will improve the coordination and internal communication in the area of chemicals management. (Adds clarity to roles and responsibilities)

• It identifies gaps in an organization that can be addressed through the development and implementation of an action plan.

• It provides the data and direction needed to prioritize efforts.

• It helps companies meet the ever-increasing number of regulatory requirements by knowing and managing chemicals in products.

• The results of the assessment enable companies to benchmark their performance against other companies and themselves.

• It supports the much-needed effort to harmonize terms and language by providing a glossary of terms that can be adopted.

What are the impacts to your business?

Questions to consider:

• Is the time right for you to do a chemicals management assessment?
• Do you have the expertise in place?
• Will you integrate the results into a broader business or sustainability strategy?

For help with any issue associated with chemicals, contact Amanda Cattermole at (415) 412 8406 or Amanda@cattermoleconsulting.com. We can help you develop powerful solutions to protect your company and brand reputation and result in safer products manufactured in cleaner supply chains.

Tips and Insights is published bi-monthly and contains information to help you make informed chemicals management decisions. Each post highlights a particular topic and includes questions you may want to consider