Chemical Industry Recognized for Excellence in Environmental and Safety Practices

The American Chemistry Council recognized multiple chemical manufacturers, partners and individuals during its 2026 Responsible Care and Sustainability Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, highlighting performance in environmental, health and safety practices, and sustainability initiatives.

The group presented Responsible Care Company of the Year awards to Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA and PQ Corporation across large, medium and small company categories. The award recognizes performance in environmental, health and safety stewardship and continuous improvement, according to ACC.

Chevron Phillips Chemical said its recognition reflects enterprise-wide integration of Responsible Care principles into its operational excellence system and a focus on preventing high-consequence events. The company also received a Responsible Care Initiative of the Year award for its risk-based corporate auditing program, which prioritizes safeguards tied to process safety and environmental protection.

Responsible Care Partner Company of the Year awards went to Trinity Industries, Total Quality Logistics and Material Logistics & Services, recognizing safety performance across chemical distribution and transportation activities, the organization said. Kenan Advantage Group received the TRANSCAER Responsible Care Partner of the Year award.

ACC also named Responsible Care Initiative of the Year recipients, including Chevron Phillips Chemical, Arkema Inc., Climax Molybdenum Company and Schneider National Bulk, for programs tied to safety, security and environmental performance.

Sustainability Leadership Awards recognized technologies and initiatives supporting environmental performance and resource efficiency. Wacker Chemical Corporation received the Sustainable Chemistry Innovation and Transparency Award for a siloxane-based concrete additive platform designed to improve durability and reduce lifecycle emissions. The company said the technology helps limit water ingress and extend service life, which can reduce repairs and enable use of lower-carbon materials.

LANXESS Corporation received the Environmental Protection Award. Syensqo received the Circularity Award for a solvent extraction technology used to recover lithium from end-of-life batteries. The company said its process enables recovery rates above 90% at pilot scale while reducing emissions compared to conventional mining.

Dow received the Social Responsibility and Community Engagement Award, and TrueNorth Collective received the External Collaborator Award.

Additional recognition included AI and digitalization awards for companies including Albemarle Corporation, Dow, Huntsman Corporation and Wacker Chemical Corp. Wacker said in an emailed press statement its recognized initiative applied artificial intelligence to automate safety data sheet management, addressing regulatory compliance and operational risks tied to manual document handling.

The organization also recognized individual contributors and site-level performance. Dow’s chief process safety officer Karen Study was named Employee of the Year for member companies, and Jim Clawson Jr. of Third Coast received the partner company honor. According to ACC, additional awards covered energy efficiency projects, waste and water stewardship initiatives and facility safety performance across member and partner sites.