Who is NACD?

The National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), established in 1971, is an international association of chemical distributor companies that purchase and take title of chemical products from manufacturers. Member companies process, formulate, blend, re-package, warehouse, transport, and market these chemical products exclusively for an industrial customer base of approximately 750,000.

NACD Mission, Vision and Goals

For a copy of the 2007 NACD Annual Report, please click here.

Click here for a PowerPoint presentation showing NACD's 2007 activities.

RDP Excellence Award – NACD’s RDP Committee presents the annual RDP Excellence Award for demonstrated outstanding performance of a company’s RDP program based on the findings of NACD’s two independent verification firms.

Pride Solvents & Chemical Co., of NJ, Inc., Avenel, New Jersey, was recognized as the 2007 award recipient. While the award was presented in Nashville at NACD’s 2007 Operations Seminar (OPSEM) in September, company President Art Dhom, Jr. was called to the stage at the NACD Annual Meeting in November to be recognized for his company’s achievements. View Dhom’s remarks.

Profile of Membership

NACD's more than 250 member companies are located in every region of the country and operate more than 1,535 chemical distribution locations and employ more than 21,300 employees. NACD also has member and Affiliate companies in Canada, Mexico, and Singapore Member companies are largely entrepreneurial and generally service a particular geographic region and specific industrial sector. They are typically small businesses, although some companies are national and international in scope. They know their products and processes, and provide value-added services to their customers in a professional, responsible manner.

Products and Industries Served

Approximately $25-30 billion of U.S. chemical industry sales are through chemical distributors, who are also actively engaged in various phases of import/export trade. The industrial customers served by chemical distributors use these materials to produce the following product examples:

RDP - A Condition of Membership

All member companies are committed to product stewardship and responsible distribution in every phase of chemical storage, handling, transportation, and disposal. A member-voted condition of membership in the Association is a signed commitment to the NACD Responsible Distribution ProcessSM (RDP), which requires members to continuously improve performance in protecting health, safety, security, and the environment.

The Responsible Distribution ProcessSM is designed to be sensitive and responsive to community needs and public concerns. It embodies the commitment of each member company to the responsible management of chemical products. NACD members play a leadership role in their communities as technical and safety resources and are eager to provide the same assistance and guidance to local, state, and federal legislators on technical issues relating to the safe handling, storage, transportation, use, and disposal of chemical products.

A key requirement of RDP and a condition of membership in NACD is verification of members' RDP policies and procedures by a third-party firm. First, document verification of company RDP policies and procedures is required of Candidates for Membership. All Regular NACD members have fulfilled this obligation. Second, RDP Verification (RDPV) is required every three years by all Regular members. RDPV verifies member companies' implementation of RDP policies and procedures, as well as reviewing the facility operations and handling of chemical materials via a facility visit and personnel interviews. RDPV is a jointly developed program supported by NACD and a core group of chemical manufacturers. NACD has contracted with third-party firms to conduct the verifications.

NACD Candidates for Membership

Allied Associations

Chemical Educational Foundation ®

The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) was originally founded in 1992 as the NACD Educational Foundation to establish a chemical product stewardship network to disseminate an important message to the NACD distributor members' 750,000 customers and their communities. Recognizing the evolving scope of the Foundation, as well as the coordination of various associations' product stewardship activities, the NACD Educational Foundation became the Chemical Educational Foundation in October 1997.

CEF is dedicated to serving the public interest as a primary national resource for conducting research and educational programs for proper distribution practices and the safe handling, use, storage, transportation, disposal, and recycling of chemical products. Through contributions from numerous contributors, the Foundation has made great strides in educating suppliers, distributors, customers, and the general public about the safe handling of chemicals. Children are a chief target audience for CEF, and activities are available to create early interest in the study and appreciation of chemistry.

For more information on CEF, please visit http://www.chemed.org, or call 703/527-6223.

International Involvement

NACD has strong ties and works closely with its allied chemical organizations worldwide. Meetings are held regularly with representatives from the chemical distribution associations in Canada, The Canadian Association of Chemical Distributors (CACD) Mexico, La Asociation Nacional de la Industria Quimica (ANIQ), and Brazil, National Brazilian Distribution Association (ASSOCIQUIM).

NACD is a member of the International Council of Chemical Trade Associations (ICCTA) and participates with the European Association of Chemical Distributors (FECC). ICCTA represents chemical distributors in more than 20 countries worldwide. ICCTA members are committed to safe and responsible handling of chemical products in all phases of the distribution process, including handling, storage, warehousing and transportation. As a condition of membership in ICCTA, member companies are committed to the principles of Responsible Distribution and Responsible Care.

Purchasing Magazine - List of Top 100 Chemical Distributors, 2007

Special Supplement to CPI Edition/Purchasing Magazine, May 2003, Issue

• The following PDFs are reproduced with permission of Purchasing magazine, which owns the copyright (2002). Do no distribute or copy without the express permission of Purchasing magazine. For more articles on chemicals and the distribution industry, please visit www.purchasing.com. To request copies of the supplement, e-mail nacdpublicaffairs@nacd.com.