Engagement in local communities is an important element of sustainable development and of Responsible Care. It is about building long-lasting partnerships with the local communities in which the chemicals, plastics and life sciences industry operates. It is in everyone’s interest to work with them, invest in them and improve their quality of life. Engaging in local communities goes beyond philanthropic projects. It is considered a fundamental aspect of the industry’s license to operate and is vital to maintaining local communities’ trust.
Many of the companies in the chemicals, plastics and life sciences industry organise regular meetings with their neighbourhoods to listen to their concerns, inform them in a pro-active way about the company’s activities, and set up local projects. Sometimes the engagement may be further away from the production sites, for instance for capacity building, because global companies operate in a global context and it might be more useful to be involved further away from a production site depending on the challenge.
The sector also invests strongly in partnerships:
