SOCMA’s ChemStewards® Program

ChemStewards® is SOCMA’s environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) performance improvement program. ChemStewards® promotes improving the performance of employee safety, employee and community health, lowering a facility’s environmental footprint and continuously increasing the security of the facility and throughout the supply chain. It is a rigorous, yet innovative program established in 2005 to cater the unique needs of the batch, custom, and specialty chemical industry. Implementing the program builds customer confidence, community trust and strengthens product stewardship throughout the supply chain. Participants receive:

Comprehensive ChemStewards Implementation Guidance
User-friendly manuals
Online education and assistance
Opportunities to participate in regional meetings
Site visits
Peer-to-peer consultations

CORE PRINCIPLES

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:

Communicate with and engage employees, business partners and the community to foster a greater understanding of environmental, health, safety and security matters.
Promote the concepts of product stewardship throughout a product’s lifecycle.
Make environmental, health, safety and security considerations a priority in the planning and operations for all new and existing products and processes.
Train employees in their environmental, health, safety and security responsibilities and promote involvement and accountability in these areas.
Continuously strive to use resources efficiently and minimize waste.

OVERVIEW OF CHEMSTEWARDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CSMS)

The ChemStewards® Management System (CSMS) follows a Plan » Do » Check » Act cycle. It provides adaptability and fit-for-purpose utility that accommodates the size, complexity and diversity individual member operations.

ChemStewards® is Adaptable– Its focus can be scaled up or scaled down depending on the size of a facility or company.
ChemStewards® is Adaptable– Its management system-oriented approach is relevant to the greater chemical industry, across busi- ness units’ product lines, and to toll, batch, and continuous process manufacturers.
ChemStewards® is Adaptable– To be ChemStewards® certified, all management systems must be third-party audited by a certified CSMS Auditor.

Download the ChemStewards White Paper for more information

CHEMSTEWARDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FRAMEWORK

ChemStewards is an EHS&S Management System that is totally facility based, providing our members with adaptability and cost control. Each facility is required to determine its site tier level based on risk and follow the requirements of that tier level.

Components	TIER 1 Fundamentals **	TIER 2 Enhanced*	TIER 3 Excellence *
Management System Plan Details	– Utilize 16 element system to grow EHS&S program – Must commit to & sign the ChemStewards Core Principles	– Full CSMS Implementation – 16 Core Elements of CS – Must commit to & sign ChemStewards Core Principles	– Full CSMS Implementation – 16 Core Elements of CS – Must commit to & sign ChemStewards Core Principles
Security	SVA Fundamental Checklist/DSH CFATS (Required)	SVA/DHS CFATS (Required)	SVA/DHS CFATS (Required)
Program Equivalent (Must maintain certification and provide a copy of certificate for verification)	N/A	– ACC, Responsible Care – NACD, Responsible Distribution – ISO 45001 + ISO 14001 – TFI, Responsible Ag	– ACC, Responsible Care – NACD, Responsible Distribution – ISO 45001 + ISO 14001 – TFI, Responsible Ag
Metrics	Annual Report of 4 CS Metrics (Required) – Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) – OSHA Recordable Rate – Number of Process Safety Incidents – Production Volume	Annual Report of 8 CS Metrics (Required) – C&S Fundamental Metrics + – Energy Usage – Hazardous Waste Generation – Employee Training – Product Stewardship	Annual Report of 8 CS Metrics (Required) – C&S Essentials Metrics +Tier III Application
Verification	Year 1 – Gap Analysis (C&S Team) Year 2 – Document Review (C&S Team) Year 3 – Onsite Gap Analysis with assistance from SOCMA **C&S Team will help get documentation established for transition to CSMS Conitnue cycle until ready to move into CSMS Must meet all 16 elements before transitioning to CSMS	Year 1 – Gap Analysis (C&S Team) Year 2 – Document Review (3^rd Party Auditor) Year 3 – Onsite Audit (3^rd Party Auditor) 1 day offsite Document Review 1 – 2 days Onsite System Audit * Recertification every 3 years	Year 1 – Gap Analysis (C&S Team) Year 2 – Document Review (3^rd Party Auditor) Year 3 – Onsite Audit (3^rd Party Auditor) 1 day offsite Document Review 1 – 2 days Onsite System Audit * Recertification every 3 years

THE PATH TO CHEMSTEWARDS CERTIFICATION

Verification is a three-step process over a three-year audit cycle based on the year the facility became a member of SOCMA.

Year 1: Program Element Verification (PEV) and Security Vulnerable Assessment (SVA)

A web-based self-evaluation or gap analysis of the various EHS&S elements of your facility
Perform security vulnerability assessment (SVA), if not tiered under DHS, and implement applicable countermeasures deemed necessary to reduce any risk identified to be acceptable
One-time event completed in the first year

Year 2: Document Review by ChemStewards® Auditor and Countermeasures of SVA

A third-party off-site document review of the facility’s management system. ChemStewards uses a checklist format to determine system documentation that creates an easy-to-work-with system.
Non-conformances [Pass-Conditionally and Fail] are to be addressed within 6 months of the audit

Year 3: On-site Audit for each ChemStewards® Facility and Verification of Countermeasures, if necessary

ChemStewards®verification is completed by approved and certified 3^rd party auditors, as well as certification by audit certification bodies.
Certificate issued following completion of on-site verification, good for 3 years.

Annually: Performance Metrics submission

Performance Improvement Metrics are required annually. The intention of the reporting is to enhance transparency and company accountability. Trending of data provides benchmarking opportunity and drives improvement in performance for member companies. Data is not shared.

Download the ChemStewards Metrics Guidance Document

TESTIMONIALS

“McGean has benefitted greatly through implementation and participation in the ChemStewards Program. We strive for excellence, yet as a small company, at times resources are a challenge. The ChemStewards program has provided a program with support and networking that has helped us become a better manufacturer. ChemStewards has also continued to “raise the bar” with forward thinking to challenge us to improve in many areas, such as process safety.” – McGean

“Implementing a comprehensive management system that incorporated all of the required aspects of environmental, health, safety and security matters into one system just made practical and financial sense. Being a small company, the three-tier approach provided the needed flexibility to allow us to start at Tier 1 and then be able to continuously improve toward Tier 3. Moreover, being the only EHS&S management system at the time that required outside auditing, we felt that this fact added a great deal of credibility to the system in the eyes of our customers. We believe being true to the core principles of ChemStewards is one of our best methods of keeping our employees and community safe while at the same time providing a key tool for attracting and retaining customers.” – Nation Ford Chemical

“ChemStewards® has provided and implemented an excellent tool kit for CSMS that is very user friendly with lots of how to’s. ChemStewards® staff offers a quick response when contacted. Bottom-line, ChemStewards is an extension of EHS and a value to systems support.” – Sun Chemical