At Glencore, our approach to product stewardship is designed to enable the products we produce and market to meet different jurisdictions’ chemical regulations and contributes to safe working practices that can protect human health and the environment.

We aim to deliver reliable, high-quality products that meet industry specifications and customer expectations. We are committed to the safe handling, storage, and transportation of our products in a manner that prevents physical, personal, or environmental harm.

Our Group policies and processes set out our expectations on quality and reliability in our industrial assets’ production activities. Through process controls, monitoring, and regular evaluations, we seek to produce products that align with industry standards and fulfill our customers’ expectations.

By maintaining strong relationships, implementing industry-aligned standards, and prioritising safety, sustainability, and compliance, we can build trust with our stakeholders and move our products responsibly through the global supply chain.

Our products pass through many logistical touchpoints, including warehouses, road and rail transportation and shipping lines. Each stage can affect the quality of our products and we embed certain quality controls in our supply chain to manage and mitigate actual and potential impacts. 

Some of our products are considered hazardous materials, such as petroleum products, metal concentrates, vanadium pentoxide, sulfuric acid, and battery recycling streams. International agreements and regional laws cover the transportation of these hazardous materials and aim to prevent accidents, protect human health, and mitigate environmental risks. 

We provide our customers with regularly updated Safety Data Sheets (SDS) on the safe way to handle, store, and distribute our products. In addition, our SDSs support our compliance with regulatory requirements such as the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), as well as OSHA, WHMIS, and WHS regulation. 

We produce over 7,000 SDSs, including variants tailored to regional and legal requirements, in the official EU languages and additional languages such as Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean. 

In addition to providing information in SDSs and on labels, we manage and mitigate risks through planning and adherence to correct packaging, vehicle, and vessel provisions to support safe and compliant transportation. 
The transboundary shipment of waste for recycling purposes is another important pillar within our product stewardship programme where through undertaking proper documentation, permitting, classification, and labelling we comply with the complex legal requirements of waste management. These efforts are essential to support safe and responsible recycling.

There are a number of internationally recognised frameworks, which influence our approach and processes, including:

• The UN’s Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling, and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures). This framework supports the correct classification and labelling for chemicals according to their hazards, including safety symbols and warning information.
• The EU’s REACH regulation, which requires chemicals to be registered, evaluated, and authorised before being entering the market, covers restrictions on hazardous substances and supports compliance with safety requirements. 
• The EU’s Waste Framework Directive, which has established requirements for handling, transporting, and disposing hazardous chemical waste.
• The Basel Convention, which governs the transboundary movement of hazardous waste.
• We  participate in REACH consortia for products such as zinc, copper, nickel, lead, cobalt, and precious metals. Through our participation, we can have visibility of evolving regulations, engage with peers and interested stakeholders to learn about good practice and have the opportunity to input into the development of industry standards.