Responsible Reflections Blog

October is filled with Halloween costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and scary movies. It’s also National Cybersecurity Awareness Month – a good time to highlight a particularly spooky subject in the chemical distribution industry: cybercriminals and their increasingly advanced attempts to steal chemicals.

Over the past few decades, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Plan (RMP) rule has been a success, preventing chemical accidents and improving preparedness, environmental stewardship, and community partnerships. The National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) has long shared the EPA’s goals for this well-intentioned rule, but recently proposed changes by the agency to the current RMP pose numerous concerns for our industry.

Knowing what to say and how to say it in a time of crisis is critically important. But all too often,  companies don’t react quickly enough and instead let the story spiral out of control, says Gerard Braud, communication expert and Founder of Situation Hub LLC.

Is your business harboring some top talent? Have they got what it takes to be a future leader? If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, we want to hear about them! We are now accepting applications for the next class of NACD’s hugely successful Emerging Leaders Program.

The new Superfund tax is top of mind for chemical distributors right now. The scope of this reinstated tax is far reaching and complex, and with so many other issues affecting NACD members — such as inflation, the shipping crisis, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — it only adds to their financial and administrative burden.

Here, we look at the re-emergence, the repercussions, and the resources we’ve made available.

NACD’s Government Affairs team regularly visits Capitol Hill to talk to Congress members and their offices about the vitally important work carried out by our membership.

We’re always telling them about your role in the supply chain, how the chemicals you handle and distribute affect our everyday lives, and how your business creates jobs and supports local communities.

If you need motivation to become active in this year’s election process, this is no shortage of critical issues that NACD member companies should address with their Members of Congress as they head home for the final recess before the 2022 midterm election cycle.

Sustainability is not a new concept, but its integration into our daily working practices is becoming increasingly prevalent. Indeed, shareholders, customers, and employees now expect chemical distributors to rise to the challenge and implement change.