Responsible Care is the worldwide chemical industry program for continuous improvement of safety, health, and environmental performance. It was started in Canada in 1984 and was adopted in the USA in late 1988 and in Western Europe and Australia in 1989/90. Today, Responsible Care is being implemented in 40 countries. In the Asia-Pacific region it is being implemented in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, the Republic of China, Japan, and India.