Clariant takes great care in protecting the safety of humans and the environment in its packaging, storage and transport of goods, especially of chemicals. To prevent negative impacts in these areas through transportation as much as possible, Clariant has issued strict rules to ensure safety. Service providers who are responsible for further transport handling are subject to the same rules. For safety reasons, Clariant destroys defective packaged goods at its own cost rather than returning them to the supplier in the damaged packaging.

As part of the development and implementation of product-specific logistics concepts, transportation safety is a key factor. This includes choosing the best means of transportation and the environmentally compatible bundling of traffic flows. At Clariant, strict internal guidelines apply to the storage of raw materials and products worldwide in order to minimize the likelihood and potential impact of fire or uncontrolled leakage of chemicals.

Safe handling of hazardous goods

Clariant stores key information such as classification and labeling data for each product in an electronic ordering and delivery system. All the parties in the transport chain are then informed automatically and the transport documents are issued with the hazardous goods information prescribed by law. The selection and determination of suitable packaging for hazardous materials are also integrated into this IT solution.

Only experienced and reliable companies are used to store, pick, schedule and transport the goods. This ensures that staff, organization and equipment all comply with legal requirements. A basis for this is, for example, the freight forwarder’s requirement profile established by Clariant, which defines the requirements for reliable partnerships with forwarders.

In Europe, the SQAS standard, a system to review safety and quality for transportation, is mandatory. In other regions, similar standards are applied. The safety of hazardous goods transportation is critically dependent on the qualifications and diligence of the people involved. Regular task-related and on-going training of Clariant employees contributes significantly to overall safety.

Clariant plant safety officers in charge of hazardous materials conduct regular inspections of filling operations and dispatch areas. In addition, road vehicles and tankers carrying hazardous materials are randomly checked before they leave the plant premises. When receiving deliveries, vehicles with safety defects or with insufficiently secured loads may not drive into the plant premises.