Isochem joins UIC Responsible Care® program

Vert-Le-Petit, France: – French-based fine chemicals and active ingredients specialist CMO Isochem has joined other industry leaders in signing up to the Responsible Care® program on its silver jubilee.

At a ceremony followed the General Meeting of the Union des Industries Chimiques (UIC) on June 25, Isochem joined 18 other leading companies, including BASF France, Bayer France, Dow France, DuPont de Nemours, ExxonMobil Chemical France, Minafin and Novasep in formally adopting the Responsible Care principles first adopted by UIC in 1990.

Responsible Care® is a voluntary initiative of the global chemical industry launched in 1985 in Canada. The continuous improvement program stresses safety, performance, health and environment, along with transparent governance. Today, it is supported by implemented by chemical companies in more than 60 countries.

Sustainability challenges

Responsible Care® is based on a World Charter that was radically revised in 2014 to reflect sustainability and societal challenges faced by the global chemical industry.

The June 25 ceremony was an opportunity for 19 French subsidiaries of multinational companies or Intermediate Size (ETI) to reaffirm their commitment or join the program by signing the revised global charter.

To symbolize the new approach, the UIC organizes Trophy Responsible Care® every two years to reward initiatives that define best practice in the areas of health, safety and environment (HSE) as well as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The awards make the Responsible Care® initiative visible within the industry and for stakeholders. A collection of 40 case studies summarizing the most significant achievements was published during the General Assembly.

“Responsible Care® demonstrates the commitment of the chemical industry to provide solutions to the environmental challenges we face, particularly those of sustainability and climate change,” said Isochem Director Jean Pelin.

“The reductions achieved in greenhouse gas emissions, down 54 per cent since 1990, are proof of the program’s effectiveness,” said Mr. Pelin.

About Isochem

Isochem S.A.S. is a contract manufacturer with a century-old heritage in fine chemistry and a 40-year track record in providing high quality fine chemicals, APIs and mastering complex processes. The company can manufacture products and provide services at the most recent and stringent pharmaceutical regulatory standards.

Isochem, along with UK-based subsidiary Wychem, serves a broad range of customers in many application fields, from leading global companies to virtual and emerging organizations, offering services in three pharma-related fields: custom synthesis, high technology manufacturing in multi-step chemical synthesis including the safe implementation of hazardous reactions, and direct supply of more than 2,300 specific compounds and products, including phosgene derivatives, regulated and non-regulated intermediates and active ingredients.

Isochem can also provide attractive synthetic tools such as activated aminoacids building blocks (N-CarboxyAnhydride NCA) used in peptide chemistry. It is also expert in process optimization from pre-clinical development to full-scale production.

Isochem, a wholly owned subsidiary of Munich-based Aurelius AG, is an international company with some 400 employees worldwide. The Head office is located near Paris, in Vert-Le-Petit, France, alongside one of Isochem’s five manufacturing sites.