A DECADE OF PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP

The year was 2000. Poised before a full house at the Mid-Year Meeting in Chicago, CSPA’s newly installed president, Chris Cathcart, made the case to the membership about the need for the association to move forward in developing its own signature product stewardship program. Cathcart saw the need for such a program as not only a shift in the mindset of how companies do business, but more of a necessity for the future success of the formulated chemical products industry.

Among the early champions joining Cathcart in an effort to make the program a reality, was then board member Dana Winn of Procter and Gamble, and Bob Hamilton of Amway. The two were tapped to lead the effort as chair and vice-chair respectively, of a new initiative that would later come to be known as Product Care. Other CSPA members such as Arno Driedger (Stepan Company), Neil Snyder (Reckitt Benckiser), Peter Hess (JR Hess & Company) and Rick Kingston (SafetyCall International), would join them to bring Product Care to fruition.

Later in the year things began to crystallize as the first draft of the product stewardship program was presented to CSPA and the board at the December 2000 annual meeting in Florida. At the program’s core was a set of codes of practice covering each aspect of product design, manufacturing and marketing. Seven committees, which coincided along the life cycle of a product (product design; raw material, packaging and service supply; manufacture and production site management; product storage and distribution; in-market support, incident evaluation and follow-up; consumer education and outreach; and product disposal) helped draft the guidelines for the new program.

Historically, while not all of CSPA’s member companies produced consumable products, it was concluded by the group that an additional “Preamble” statement was needed to indicate that this stewardship program was intended for the entire diversity of CSPA members. The new program was designed to be inclusive and accessible to everyone.

CSPA General Counsel Brigid Klein was chosen to be the point person to work with members in getting the program launched and advancing the association’s product stewardship efforts. Gradually, more CSPA members joined the cause contributing ideas and stewardship concepts that would become a more central aspect of the association.

After settling upon the name that would come to define this industry stewardship initiative – Product Care® – and creating a logo that resonated with member companies, the program was later officially proposed and unanimously approved by the CSPA membership at the December 2001 Annual Meeting. Product Care would serve to be a voluntary Code of Management Practice that would provide a framework of guidelines for developing, manufacturing, distributing and marketing products made by CSPA member companies.

In 2002 under Cathcart’s leadership, CSPA officially unveiled industry’s Product Care program before members of Congress, representatives of government and CSPA member companies at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Guest speaker, James Fuller, then chief of staff of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), stressed the cooperative relationship between CSPA and the agency, describing Product Care as an “immense tool for consumers and for CPSC.”

That same year, Product Care held its first training seminar, conducted by Winn and Hamilton (Rick Kingston would later join Dana Winn, replacing Bob Hamilton as co-trainer), in Washington, DC with a two-day session that introduced the program. Additional seminars were added and held in Chicago at the Mid-Year Meeting and in Florida at the Annual Meeting. There was even a Product Care business meeting for member companies added to meeting itinerary, and by year’s end 43 companies had committed to participating in the program.

Industry’s new stewardship efforts were lauded by consumers, regulators and NGOs alike. Even big box retailer Target’s vice president of government affairs praised and supported the association’s efforts on Product Care. Later in the program’s life Wal-Mart too would recognize Product Care as an indicator of good stewardship in the implementation of its Chemical Analysis Review Program. Wal-Mart became aware of the program during CSPA’s ongoing efforts with a number of major retailers to develop and secure an effective means of providing product ingredient information.

As the years went on, the program continued to evolve and more members participated, sharing their ideas for stewardship. In 2005, CPSC supported the use of Product Care’s distinctive logo on the product labels of participating companies. Irving, Texas-based NCH Corporation became the first Product Care participant to place the logo on more than 400 of its products in a variety of categories. ZEP, Inc., a manufacturer of institutional maintenance and sanitation products, became the second member to use the logo on its products followed by Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company.  Till this day all are still active members of the program.

When Cathcart began efforts to make Product Care a reality he saw it as an opportunity to craft industry’s new “identity” much as Responsible Care® and Coatings Care® had done for the allied trade groups that managed them. To create low barriers for participation, CSPA sought to show participants how they could easily adapt the Product Care program through reciprocity of the stewardship efforts they already were conducting under other programs.

Throughout this decade, CSPA invested heavily in showing members that not only was Product Care "the right thing to do" as well as a sound business strategy, but also that there were other ancillary benefits to participation. From a liability standpoint, participation in the program could mean fewer incidents, and fewer incidents could mean monetary savings from decreased insurance premiums. Additionally, CSPA companies that joined Product Care became eligible for a 10% premium discount when they signed up for CSI Plus, a program that offered a broad spectrum of coverage through CSPA’s Consumer Specialties Insurance company (CSI).

Companies that join and commit to the principles of the Product Care program operate on a two-year review cycle. The two-year periods give member companies the opportunity to review their processes, evaluate changes in the environment for consumers, research new information, and investigate occasions for improvement.

Today, participation is steady and is in good hands under the leadership of Product Care chair John Abplanalp (co-chair David Beaham passed away in 2011) and vice-chair, Mark Cohen (NCH Corporation). Winn and Kingston continue to run the program’s lively and informative training sessions.

It was 10 years ago that CSPA began Product Care as a way to communicate the benefits of good product stewardship to consumers, the public, and policy makers. Its long term aim was to help member companies operate more efficiently and effectively; demonstrate the great care that CSPA companies take to ensure that consumers enjoy the benefits and protection of consumer specialty products; and to curb or prevent unnecessary regulatory oversight.

As the program moves forward into its next decade, the goal is simple…increase Product Care’s relevance and continue to grow the membership.