Industry groups revamp to tackle global issues

Abstract

The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) is growing up and out in an organizational change agreed to last week at a meeting in Athens, Greece. The objective is to improve the chemical industry's ability to present a cohesive front in addressing issues around the world. At the same time, the associations representing the chemical industries in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico formed an umbrella group—called the North American Council of Chemical Associations (NACCA)—to tackle issues and develop programs of common interest in North America. It incorporates the U.S.-based Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA), Mexico's Asociacion Nacional de la Industria Quimica, and the Canadian Chemical Producers' Association. Until last week's action, ICCA—formed in 1989 after 11 years of spadework by officials at both CMA and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC)—was sometimes perceived as a small, exclusive club. Members were CEFIC, which represents 21 member countries in Western and Central Eur...