Product Stewardship
Product Stewardship, the ongoing performance improvement of products in terms of safety, health and environmental impact is one of the cornerstones of sustainable business.
Product Stewardship Management
All AkzoNobel Businesses have Product Stewardship Management Systems in place which include the following building blocks:
- providing information to stakeholders about health and safety aspects of products.
- providing guidelines for safe transport and handling during storage, application and use of products.
- commitment to reducing and wherever possible elimination of hazardous raw materials and wherever possible elimination of products that are harmful to safety, health and/or environment.
AkzoNobel’s position regarding the substitution of hazardous materials can be found here .
Next steps
AkzoNobel’s Eco-premium solutions program, which focuses on the development of products with lower toxicity; improved energy efficiency; use of natural resources/ raw materials, reduced emissions waste, land use and risks (e.g. of accidents) is the logical next step in Product Stewardship.
Memberships and Endorsements
Product Stewardship related Memberships and Endorsements include:
AkzoNobel adheres to the principles of Responsible Care®. This is the chemical industry’s global voluntary initiative under which companies, through their national associations, work together to continuously improve their health, safety and environmental performance, and to communicate with stakeholders about their products and processes.
In 2007, AkzoNobel became a signatory to the Global Responsible Care Charter.
AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints and Performance Coatings Businesses adhere to the principles of Coatings Care®. This is the preeminent environmental health and safety management program for coatings manufacturers around the world, and is being actively implemented by paint, printing ink, and adhesives companies in over 11 countries. These companies are making effective use of the Coatings Care ® programs and resource materials, all of which are aimed at providing business value while enhancing health, safety and environmental performance.
Anticipating on Chemicals legislation
Among the most important legislation for Chemicals and Coatings Companies are the European legislation for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals and the EU VOC 2010 directive.
By adjusting their product portfolios, our businesses have anticipated on both legislations so we will comply with emerging regulation well in advance. In the long run, the costs of compliance – for REACH in the area of EUR 120 million – are expected to be more than offset by new business opportunities. A REACH Leadership team, comprising business focal points and corporate staff, has been established to effectively steer the REACH implementation process. They are focusing on issues like protecting Intellectual property rights; legal compliance; interpreting legal requirements for contracts/ agreements with external parties; and stream-lining supply chain processes involving purchasing managers worldwide. The pre-registration phase was successfully closed on 01 December 2008. The next steps are in progress: consortia formation and additional testing to fill the knowledge gaps for some products. The team will also be considering the IT structure needed for future successful management of the REACH aspects of our value chains.
Our REACH Supplier Brochures can be downloaded in several languages:
We have also developed specific REACH Sites for various businesses and brands
To find out more, email us at
reachinfo@akzonobel.com