USCIB lead a multi-industry association effort urging the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to make its Chemicals in Products (CiP) program initiative attractive to business.

“Many global industry sectors have well-established systems for suppliers to communicate relevant information on chemicals in products that they place on the market,” USCIB and other business associations said in a statement. “It is recognized that such systems, however, may not yet be fully realized or internalized in many developing nations. This poses the biggest challenge to standardizing global approaches on chemicals.”

Central to the modern economy, chemicals are traded widely across borders and are used in the production of thousands of different products, from pharmaceuticals to computer microchips.

The International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) is an inter-governmental ministerial that convenes UN member delegates and stakeholders for discussions on chemicals management. Adopted by ICCM in 2006, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a policy framework aimed to foster the safe and sound management of chemicals. SAICM’s Chemicals in Products (CiP) program a voluntary initiative designed to give guidance on how to share relevant information on chemicals in products along the supply chain and throughout their life cycle.

In a letter submitted to UNEP, USCIB and nine other industry associations noted that in order for the Chemicals in Products (CiP) to achieve its objectives, it should acknowledge the array of existing company, industry and regional systems and programs for communicating reliable, relevant information on chemicals contained in products that are placed on the market.

USCIB will continue to monitor work on SAICM and provide regular updates to members. Medina will attend the fourth International Conference on Chemicals Management in September 2015.