It is a pleasure to be here, and I appreciate the invitation by the Singapore Chemical Industry Council to exchange learnings on a subject that touches chemical companies so profoundly. DuPont has been a pioneer of Responsible Care, and I believe that by charting a broad direction about actions needed to address societal expectations, this conference can benefit all organizations. Although many of us understand the significance of Responsible Care, and vigorously promote it within our organizations, there are likely to be a few who may question the importance and role of this initiative.
Care is all about what one feels towards matters or people of importance, interest and concern.
Now combine these two words into a single phrase, and it suddenly acquires a whole new meaning. Clearly, the early pioneers of Responsible Care possessed great foresight in coming up with this term and a philosophy enshrined in a set of codes that have positively influenced industry thinking and behavior. It is now for us to review the Responsible Care processes and programs in our organizations, and to make the revisions necessary to address today's needs and expectations. I take it that increasing shareholder value is a challenge facing all of us today. This must surely take up a lot of management time and attention.