Bahrain hosts the sixth Responsible Care Conference of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA)

The Kingdom of Bahrain is preparing to host the sixth Responsible Care Conference, organized by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), during the period from 13 to 15 October 2025 at the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel in Manama. The conference will bring together an elite group of sector leaders from the region and the world to discuss the future of sustainability, safety and digital transformation in the chemical industry, and highlight the most prominent global practices in this vital field.

This year, the conference is held under the slogan “Towards a smarter, more transparent and more flexible future,” and it presents an integrated program over three days that includes keynote speeches, strategic panel discussions, technical sessions, and specialized workshops. Its activities will begin on October 13 with introductory sessions reviewing best practices in contractor management, followed by an applied workshop on the Responsible Care® program led by Daniel Roczniak, Senior Director of Responsible Care® at the American Chemistry Council.

The main program of the conference will kick off on October 14 with an opening speech by Khaled Al-Olayani, Vice President of Environment, Health, Safety and Security at SABIC and Vice Chairman of the Responsible Care Committee at GPCA, followed by a welcome speech by Dr. Abdul Rahman Jawahery, CEO of BAPCO Refining. The first day will also witness a discussion session entitled “From Accidents to Industrial Leadership through Responsible Care®”, with the participation of Khaled Al-Daoud, Managing Director and CEO of Natpet, and Mitchell Toomey, Vice President of Sustainability and Responsible Care at the American Chemistry Council.

The conference will conclude on October 15 with a session dedicated to the topic of cybersecurity, in which Nofal Naseem, Vice President of Cyber ​​Risk Management at Marsh, and Peter Clayton, Head of the Energy Engineering Center in Dubai – Marsh, participate, as they review the most prominent challenges and solutions in this vital field. The program also includes an advanced leadership workshop presented by Alfredo Karam, principal consultant in leadership and culture transformation practices at dss+, which will provide participants with practical insights into ways to enhance a culture of safety in the contemporary work environment.

The sixth session of the Responsible Care Conference comes at a time when the sector is witnessing remarkable progress in terms of environmental and operational performance. According to the 2024 GPCA Performance Benchmarks Report, members recorded a 33% reduction in Level 1 process safety incidents, along with a 9% reduction in hazardous waste intensity, while total greenhouse gas emissions fell to less than 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. These results are a clear indication of the region’s petrochemical industry’s commitment to promoting environmental responsibility and establishing operational excellence practices.

Dr. Abdul Wahab Al-Saadoun, Secretary General of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), stressed that holding this year’s Responsible Care Conference embodies the chemicals sector’s commitment to continuous improvement, innovation and transparency, explaining that: “Responsible Care remains the compass that guides the path of companies in a rapidly changing environment, enabling them to achieve purposeful leadership and embrace digital transformation. And building a safer and more sustainable future for future generations.”

One of the highlights of the conference will be the announcement of the winners of the GPCA Awards for Excellence in Responsible Care in its fourth session, which aims to honor companies and individuals who have achieved qualitative achievements in this field. The event will also witness the handing over of the GPCA Carbon Neutrality Cup in its second edition, which is awarded to undergraduate and graduate students in the GCC countries from science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, in recognition of their innovative contributions to supporting a carbon-neutral future.

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