SOCMA: Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates

April 17, 2007 - The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association’s (SOCMA) Board of Governors adopted the following policy on climate change at its March meeting. The policy was approved to fully state SOCMA’s support for voluntary and market-based measures to combat climate change.

SOCMA is the leading trade association, serving the specialty-batch and custom chemical industry since 1921. SOCMA’s nearly 300 members employ more than 100,000 workers across the country and produce 50,000 products valued at $60 billion annually. For more information please visit www.socma.org.

SOCMA CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY
The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) is the leading
trade association representing the batch and custom chemical industry. Our membership, includes a diverse array of different types of companies 90% of which consists of small businesses,. The distinctive feature of our industry sector is the production of a wide range of specialty chemicals, with a highly varying production mix. SOCMA advocates for flexibility in regulations and policies so members can achieve compliance and improved performance, while maintaining efficiency and productivity.

SOCMA recognizes that global climate change is a broad concern and could have far
reaching effects. While the overall understanding of the factors that may contribute to climate change is evolving, SOCMA agrees that it is sound public and business policy to control emissions, conserve resources, and minimize waste. While SOCMA member operations typically are not major contributors of greenhouse gases, as part of SOCMA’s overall commitment to environmental improvement by its members, SOCMA will continue to evaluate how members can address various concerns related to climate change.

Overall, SOCMA supports policies that promote a diversified national approach to
climate change and recognize the range of operations and activities within various industry sectors. Federal policies or programs need to be flexible, so that businesses of all sizes can participate effectively or at least not be inadvertently disadvantaged due to business size, variable production or lower levels of emissions. SOCMA supports an increase in research and development (R&D) credits and the establishment of other credits for businesses that have already reduced emissions or implemented energy efficiency measures.

SOCMA and its members have implemented a performance improvement program
since 1995. SOCMA’s ChemStewards® performance improvement program requires members to develop and implement an environmental, health, safety, and security management system. These management systems programs provide the foundation for further steps that both improve environmental performance and make businesses more efficient. As part of this performance improvement program, there is an energy metric that SOCMA members track---millions of BTU per millions of pounds of production to help foster energy efficiency.

In summary, a nationwide effort to address climate change concerns, promote
conservation, evaluate cap and trade programs, and further use of R&D credits should be developed. SOCMA supports flexible initiatives that would recognize the voluntary efforts of its members and implement economically sound strategies to address climate change concerns.