Distribution (SQAS/ESAD)
ESAD, the European Single Assessment Document, is part of the SQAS (Safety & Quality Assessment System) developed by CEFIC which is a system to evaluate the quality, safety, security and environmental performance of Logistics Service Providers and Chemical Distributors.
ECSA considers this as a key tool to put Responsible Care® into practice and ensure continuous improvement (source:www.sqas.org).
ESAD enables chemical producing companies to have the quality and safety management systems of their distributors assessed in a uniform manner, thus avoiding multiple assessments by each individual chemical company. Currently over 280 active assessment reports of distributors and their sites are listed in the ESAD database.
Since 2001 ECSA has used the ESAD programme to monitor the performance of distributors for the safe & sustainable distribution, reclaiming, recycling and disposal of our products as part of its sustainability programme and actively participates in revision of assessment questionnaires.
The ESAD assessment for distributors consists of four parts: Standard Activities, Site Assessment, Chlorinated Solvents, and Food, Cosmetic and/or Pharma. The questions on chlorinated solvents, that ECSA is responsible for, emphasize the specific wish of chlorinated solvent producers to implement Responsible Care® and continuous improvement with their most important supply chain partners.
A continuous yearly increase in positive answers of distributors has been recognized in the ESAD programme since 2007 for the chlorinated solvent part.
ECSA is also in contact with the European Solvent Recyclers Group (ESRG), which aims to promote the safe and economic management of post-use solvents (www.esrg-online.eu).
ECSA has already put six different awareness programmes in place:
- Chlorinated Solvents: Awareness Questionnaire to the Value Chain
- Chlorinated Solvents: Revised Guidance on Storage and Handling of Chlorinated Solvents
- Chlorinated Solvents: Revised Safety & Quality Assessment Questionnaire for Distributors of Chlorinated Solvents (ESAD)
- Perchloroethylene: E-DryClean sustainable dry cleaning processing
- Trichloroethylene: Charter for the safe use of Trichloroethylene
See more information about the six different awareness programmes page.
In the frame of the ECSA sustainability programme, members have committed to achieve the following sustainability goals:
- All ECSA members have committed themselves to support the ESAD/SQAS programme and urge all their distributors to get ESAD assessed.
- All distributors of ECSA members should be ESAD/SQAS assessed and aim for a high score in the chlorinated questionnaire by continuous improvement.