WHAT IS CHEMSTEWARDSChemStewards® is SOCMA’s flagship environmental, health, safety, and security (EHS&S) program designed specifically for specialty chemical manufacturers. For 20 years, it has helped companies reduce risk, improve performance, and demonstrate leadership across the supply chain. |
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As ChemStewards® celebrates 20 years of advancing environmental, health, safety, and security (EHS&S) excellence, the program is evolving to better support the future of specialty chemical manufacturing. ChemStewards® 2.0 introduces a more modern, flexible, and performance-driven approach designed to help companies strengthen operational excellence, improve benchmarking capabilities, and navigate increasingly complex regulatory and business expectations. The refreshed program modernizes both the look and structure of ChemStewards® while maintaining the core principles and rigor that have defined the program for two decades.
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Key enhances include:
| ChemStewards® operates through a structured continuous improvement cycle based on the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) framework. This approach ensures facilities are not only implementing processes but also continuously evaluating and improving them over time. The emphasis on documented systems—policies, procedures, and records—helps reduce reliance on informal practices and improves consistency across operations. | 
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The first step in implementing the ChemStewards® program is to understand and agree to the Core Principles. The top company executive must agree to and sign a statement committing to and implementing these principles. They are:
Every facility uses a management system to run its business. In the industrial setting, a management system can be informal, or formal and specifically structured.
The initiative behind ChemStewards® is to have a facility take its management system (formal or informal) and structure it according to set elements following the plan/ do/check/act cycle. ChemStewards® gives an organization the latitude to incorporate “its“way of performing business on a day-to-day basis but sets up the management structure to ensure certain tasks are institutionalized. This helps to achieve better performance reliability, consistency, and quality, and is the basis for continual improvement.
One of the key features of the ChemStewards® Program is the public reporting of important performance metrics summarized below. These metrics include:
Verification is a three-step process over a three-year audit cycle based on the year the facility became a member of SOCMA. During year one in the ChemStewards® Program, the facility performs a Program Element Verification (PEV) which is a self audit of the elements. During year two in the program, the facility completes a Document Review of the EHS&S management system by a ChemStewards® Certified Auditor. In year three in the program, facility management performs an On-site Audit of the ChemStewards® Management System.
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The ChemStewards® Management System is built on a comprehensive set of 16 core elements that collectively establish a structured, risk-based approach to environmental, health, safety, and security (EHS&S) management. These elements are designed to guide facilities in developing, implementing, and continuously improving their systems ensuring consistency, accountability, and operational excellence. Together, they provide a practical framework that supports regulatory compliance, enhances performance, and enables organizations to proactively manage risks across their operations.
Core Elements
ChemStewards® provides members with the tools, resources, and support needed to strengthen EHS&S performance, streamline compliance efforts, and drive continuous improvement across operations.
Download our 2026 ChemStewards White paper for more details about the program.
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