Chemical reputation improves
16 Jul 2004
The European public's opinions on the chemical industry are showing signs of brightening for the first time in more than a decade, according to the European Chemical Industry Council, CEFIC.
Its annual pan-European survey shows the first overall improvement in attitudes since it began, in 1992.
The survey tested the opinions of 9000 people in eight countries - the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Overall, 48% of respondents said that they had a positive impression of the chemical industry, with 44% having a negative impression.
Five of the eight countries showed an improvement in image, with only Sweden - generally the least favourable country - showing a decline. Benchmarking against opinions of other industries, chemicals came out ahead of petrol and oil, but behind the electricity generating industry, pharmaceuticals, cars, food and electronics.
The results were also encouraging on a more detailed level, the survey says. Again for the first time, ratings on controlling pollution, protecting the safety of neighbours and employees, and reducing the risks to health and the environment posed by chemical products, all received positive net ratings.
The results varied strongly from country to country, however; below-average ratings were recorded from questionnaires in France, Spain and Italy, possibly due to the AZT explosion in Toulouse in 2001, the wreck of the Prestige oil tanker off the Galician coast in 2002, and the recent Parmalat scandal.
These positive results come with a warning, however: there was a further rise in calls for tougher regulations, particularly in Spain, France and Denmark. This appears to be tempered by an understanding of the effects of legislation, with several of the national questionnaires reflecting concerns over the transfer of jobs and operations outside Europe, pressure on the economic role and importance of the industry, and decreasing innovation.
In the UK, meanwhile, the Chemical Industries Association's annual MORI poll shows a similar improvement in public opinion. Net favourability has improved by two percentage points, mainly because of a recognition of improved safety and environmental performance and despite a series of campaigns from environmental NGOs such as Friends of the Earth and the WWF.
'Paradoxically, these activities, which have resulted in a significant increase in awareness of chemical risks, appear also to have contributed to a significant increase in public awareness of the benefits of chemicals,' says the CIA's head of reputation, John Boler.
