China's chemical industry needs to do more to build public trust regarding pollution and chemical health concerns, several senior industry officials said at a recent conference.

There are signs of an increasingly active Chinese public on environmental issues, such as a protest in Dalian last year that saw thousands of residents march through the downtown to demand the relocation of a factory making a building block of polycarbonate. More recently, industrial projects have been canceled this summer in Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces after sizable public protests about pollution.

Against that background, some industry officials used the conference as a platform to push for more action.

The suggestions delivered at the 2012 China Petroleum and Chemical International Conference in Tianjin included having more companies in China adopt the global Responsible Care standards governing environmental, health and safety operations, along with stepping up communication with the public.

As well, some suggested China look for lessons in Germany's chemical sector, whose representatives told a conference panel titled "Chemicals and Public Perception" that they've seen public opinion in Germany improve after chemical companies took a more open attitude and improved safety and environmental performance.

Public trust issues are not unique to China, and like chemical and plastics industries worldwide, Chinese companies believe they have a positive story to tell about how their materials are vital to modern life and can play a significant role in addressing problems like global warming.

Source: rubbernews.com