Chemical substances-necessary and important to modern daily life. However, sometimes these substances can turn dangerous, becoming hazardous to human health and safety and the environment when handled improperly. The task of preserving the environment and ensuring the health and safety of humans has increased in step with the rise of global environmental problems and the rapid industrialization of developing countries. Adding to this situation the potential hazards linked to advanced technology has made it difficult to ensure the ecological soundness and safety of chemical operations and products simply by imposing laws and regulations. Thus, it is increasingly more important for companies that deal with chemical substances to undertake voluntary measures to ensure environmental preservation and human safety and health. Reflecting this trend, the world chemical industry started an initiative that promotes a voluntary management system aimed at preserving the environment against and ensuring the safety from chemical substances throughout the product's life cycle, from development through disposal. This initiative has been named "Responsible Care" (RC).

The logotype used to promote Responsible Care is authorized by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) as an international trademark for use by companies and organizations that implement Responsible Care programs. Permission to use the logotype is granted to member companies of chemical industry associations recognized by the ICCA. In Japan, the Japan Chemical Industries Association (JCIA), the Responsible Care Committee(RC Committee), and member companies of the RC Committee are exclusively authorized to use the logotype.

Responsible Care is a Voluntary Initiative with company's commitment to improve all aspects of Environment, Health and Safety and to communicate with the public about activities and achievement to ensure transparency on the following five considerations.

RCis a set of voluntary activities based on a public commitment by companies engaged in the manufacture or handling of chemical substances.
RCcovers all aspects of performance related to the manufacture and handling of chemical substances.
	●	Environmental preservation (Protecting human health and preserving the natural environment)
	●	Operational safety and disaster prevention 　(Preventing disasters at facilities and minimizing damage in case of disaster)
	●	Occupational safety and health (Protecting the safety and health of workers)
	●	Product stewardship (Providing information relating to the properties and handling procedures of chemical products to protect the safety and health of all people handling the products and the environment)
RCrequires companies to publicize their performance and maintain dialogue with the public; the approach aims to promote communications with the public and foster a better understanding of the role of companies that manufacture and handle chemical substances.
RCis a set of activities aimed at preserving the environment and ensuring safety and health in all stages of chemical substance life cycles from development and manufacturing to distribution, use, final consumption, and disposal. (product stewardship)