Chemical Safety

In August 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg, the Republic of South Africa. The Summit proposed targets for 2020, aiming to ensure that "chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment." This led to the adoption in February 2006 of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), administered and inspected by the UN Environment Program (UNEP), in the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM). This reflects an acceleration of global initiatives toward the reduction of risk throughout the life cycle of chemical substances.
The chemical industry has also pledged to promote Global Product Strategy (GPS) as a voluntary initiative and established the Responsible Care Global Charter (RCGC).
Sumitomo Chemical's top management has signed the CEO Declaration of Support for the Responsible Care Global Charter, and is further strengthening and developing its Responsible Care activities while also participating actively in the formulation of specific policies for advancing the RCGC in the chemical industry.

	Implementation of Surveys and Risk Assessments

At Sumitomo Chemical, the Environmental Health Science Laboratory (EHSL) plays a central role in assessing the safety of the various products developed by the Sumitomo Chemical Group.
It conducts sophisticated research in diverse fields ranging from genetics to the global environment and ecosystem, making use of the latest scientific knowledge and advanced technologies, as well as the Company's knowhow and long experience in chemical safety assessments. In addition, as the core laboratory supporting the technological aspects of Responsible Care activities for chemical safety, the EHSL provides each department of the Company with safety information and the results of risk assessments in order to ensure safety and protect the environment throughout the life cycle of chemical products, from development to use and disposal.

	Enhancement and Proper Management of Safety Information for Chemical Substances

With an increase in international awareness of the need for appropriate management of chemicals, it is becoming extremely important for chemical companies to collect and manage chemical safety information in order to be able to properly respond to chemical regulations that are becoming stricter every year and ensure chemical safety based on risk assessments. In a proactive response to these trends, Sumitomo Chemical launched a program for compiling existing findings and information on the safety management of chemical products in fiscal 2005. In order to properly manage all safety information, including that collected through this program, and utilize it effectively, Sumitomo Chemical has been building the new generation database system, Sumitomo Chemical Comprehensive Environmental, Health & Safety Management System (SuCCESS).
We have traditionally used our advanced technologies to assess and manage all possible risks in every phase of the life cycle of our chemical products, from development, manufacture, marketing, and use to disposal, while at the same time building and managing our own information management systems. With the practical operation of SuCCESS, which went live in January 2009, we have now placed all information about safety, applicable laws and regulations, MSDSs and more for all chemicals handled by Sumitomo Chemical onto our intranet, where it can be accessed by all our employees for use in risk management activities.

	Animal Welfare

In the process of developing useful chemical substances and assessing their safety, a large variety of studies and evaluations are required. These assessments, however, cannot be completed without conducting tests using laboratory animals. Sumitomo Chemical advocates humane treatment of laboratory animals and applies the 3Rs of animal use and animal welfare: replacement, reduction, and refinement. Beyond the standards specified by current laws and regulations on animal care and use issued by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, we also have internal rules for conducting animal experiments and have established the Animal Welfare Committee to verify compliance with these rules and to ensure that animal experiments are conducted properly and appropriately with due consideration for animal welfare.
Furthermore, we have been actively improving our system for educating specialists and developing alternative techniques that do not use animals.

	Active Participation in Voluntary Initiatives in Japan and Overseas

Sumitomo Chemical plays a leading role in compiling reports on some of the target chemicals in the voluntary safety assessment program for high production volume (HPV) chemicals conducted by the ICCA. The Company also provides data on other chemicals that it handles, as a sponsor of the HPV program. Furthermore, we are actively involved with the Japan Challenge Program, a Japanese version of the HPV program, going beyond sponsorship by, for example, participating in data entry trials to create templates for organizing the collected data.
Sumitomo Chemical is also an active participant in and is providing continuous support for the Long-Range Research Initiatives (LRI) for research on the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment, which, like the HPV program, was initiated by the ICCA. This initiative is being implemented by chemical industry associations in Japan, the United States, and Europe.

	Responding to the EU's REACH legislation for chemicals

In the area of chemical safety, the EU's REACH legislation came into force in 2007. By the end of November 2008, Sumitomo Chemical had completed the pre-registration process with the regulating authorities for the chemical products and substances it produces in or imports into the EU. REACH is demanding tighter risk assessment and management at every life stage, from upstream suppliers to ordinary consumers, of chemicals in the EU. To get to the stage of pre-registration, it was necessary to gain a firm understanding of how chemicals are used throughout the supply chain from the upstream to the downstream and conduct thorough analyses of the risks involved. Going forward, we will use the results of these advanced analyses to apply for registration by the deadline determined by the regulating authority and will also accurately convey the necessary risk management information to our customers. This requires an unprecedentedly massive response, and in order to respond properly, Sumitomo Chemical is making arrangements with organizations both inside and outside the Company to meet the diverse demands of REACH.