Chemical Sciences Scotland Conference 2009
Reputation Topic Group

The CSS conference was an ideal opportunity for the Reputation Group to get formal and informal feedback on the subject of reputation.  The unmistakable message was that we need to be absolutely clear in our own minds what we are trying to achieve with regard to the group's work and that the major items we should be tackling are:

• The messaging and imagery we use needs to clearly and accurately represent what the sector stands for.

• We need to make the link between everyone's daily life and how chemicals have enhanced this.

• We must 'sell' our sector as one that is providing solutions to the current and future global challenges.

These messages reminded me of a recent conversation with a leading politician who was concerned about the amount of energy that we use to produce our products.  After a five minute discussion on life cycle and how much energy our products saved (directly as insulation or indirectly by displacing even more expensive products like steel) he saw the industry in a different light - part of the solution.

The Reputation Group will take the conference messages and strive to ensure that the industry story -- being part of the solution - reaches everyone.

Gordon Grant, Reputation Group Chair