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A Century Moving Forward 24 Spray February 2014 A Century Moving Forward was the theme of the Consumer Specialty Products Association’s (CSPA) 100th Annual Meeting held Dec. 8–12 at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, FL. “In light of the bad weather across the country, I’m very pleased so many attendees were able to make it,” Chris Cathcart, President & CEO of CSPA, told SPRAY in an exclusive interview. Cathcart also noted in his speech at the General Session that CSPA added 23 new member companies and two new Product Ingredient Review (PIR) groups in 2013 and operated 30 websites where consumers, members and media visit to get the CSPA message. On the state level, explained Cathcart, CSPA has been very active in California, working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on air quality and with stakeholders on Green Chemistry issues. The CSPA was so effective that Gov. Jerry Brown commended CSPA for its efforts. “We own our decisions and our actions,” Cathcart said. Product Care “Product Care’s mission is to help each other become even better product stewards for our industry,” explained Cathcart. There are three levels to the Product Care plan. At its most basic, Stage I, every member of CSPA is now already a member of Product Care. There is no formal work plan that a company must complete; rather, the company simply endorses the Product Care principles when it joins CSPA. Stage II is Product Care Steward. All members can, and are encouraged to, become Product Care Stewards by performing self-assessment or via reciprocity with existing stewardship programs. Similar to the existing program, there will be an emphasis on sharing Best Practices. There will also be improved pathways to Product Care for the primary business of the company, whether it is a consumer product formulator, I&I formulator, supplier, service provider and even consultants or law firms. All paths have steps or requirements that lead to becoming a Product Care Steward. A company’s Product Care program remains self-defined and the company evaluates its own progress via selfaudits. In addition, companies participating in other comparable stewardship programs can meet the requirements of Product Care via reciprocity. At this level, members must sign a commitment agreement, attend training and conduct self-assessment. All CSPA board and division board members must be at Stage II, unless division board membership predates the program. The requirements for the final stage, Stage III, involves in-depth assessment and have yet to be determined, Cathcart told SPRAY. Product Care shows regulators, nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and other interested parties the steps CSPA members take to ensure the safety and integrity of their products and their companies. “Product Care means all the best practices available across the range of industry to everyone,” Cathcart said in his interview with SPRAY. “In December of 2012, the Product Care steering committee figured out how to make it more ingrained in industry. The initial program consisted of training and self assessment, incorporating product care into the association’s Mission Statement. “The Consumer Aerosol Products Council (CAPCO) and the Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE)—this is what we represent,” he continued. “How to store, handle, transport and deal with the abuse of our products…voluntary ingredients disclosure…this really captures the progress we’ve made in industry, a natural adaptability. People’s needs shift and we have to capture that.” Some companies may be involved in other stewardship programs elsewhere, and CSPA needs to share these stories, as well, Cathcart declared. Cathcart Presidential scholar and author Michael Beschloss was the keynote speaker at the General Session. His latest book, Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders & How They Changed America, 1789-1989 was a New York Times and Washington Post best-seller. Marks a Milestone in Ft. Lauderdale


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