The Philosophyand Reality of Responsible Care ----The Case of Chemical Factories in Yamaguchi Prefecture----

Rie Nomiyama* and Ken'ichi Togawa**
* Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University
** Research center for Coal Mining Materials, Kyushu University
+ Correspondence should be addressed to Rie Nomiyama:
(4-2-1 Ropponmatsu, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, 810-8560 Japan)

Abstract
In this article, we wish to examine how the idea of Responsible Care has been adapted in cases where international chemical industries have voluntarily committed to continuous improvement of performance in regards to health, safety and environmental protection. In particular, we focused on "Product Stewardship" and "dialogs with the public".
A survey of chemical factories in Yamaguchi Prefecture revealed how they have adapted Responsible Care.
"Product Stewardship" means management of the total life cycle of a product from the first laboratory experiments through final disposal. However, there is no general agreement in the chemical industry about what is the cradle and what is the grave of a product.
We investigated the current reality of this concept and its background of "risk communication" through a comparison with the CCPA (Canadian Chemical Producer Association) "New Ethic".

Key words: responsible care, product stewardship, risk communication, dialogs with the public