MIDLAND — Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) has released a set of corporate policies toward operating sustainably as a chemical company, leading toward a more sustainable business community and society.
Dow says its 2025 Sustainability Goals call for collaboration and product innovation, with a goal of improving the lives of a billion people and delivering $1 billion in cost savings or new cash flow by valuing nature in business decisions.
An online discussion between sustainability experts and Dow leaders, including Dow chairman and CEO Andrew N. Liveris, will be held at 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 at www.DowHangout.comn. The discussion will be moderated by Alice Korngold, author and sustainability leader.
Dow’s seven 2025 Sustainability Goals are as follows:
Goal 1: Leading the Blueprint – Dow will develop a blueprint that integrates public policy solutions, science and technology and value chain innovation to facilitate the transition to a sustainable planet and society. To develop the blueprint, Dow will engage in 100 significant dialogues across the public and private sector and establish 10 new collaborations. The initial blueprint will be published year-end 2017 and will be updated throughout the goal time frame, considering world progress towards sustainability and emerging challenges.
Goal 2: Delivering Breakthrough Innovations – Dow’s goal is to have its product portfolio will have a six-fold net positive impact on sustainable development by 2025. Dow products will offset three times more carbon dioxide than they emit throughout their life cycle and save three times more energy than they use throughout their life cycle.
Goal 3: Advancing a Circular Economy – By 2025, Dow will work with other industry leaders, non-profit organizations and governments to deliver six major projects that facilitate the world’s transition to a circular economy, where waste is designed into new products and services.
Goal 4: Valuing Nature – Dow will generate $1 billion by 2025 in the form of cost savings or new cash flow as measured by net present value, a measure of future cash flows discounted to the present day.
Goal 5: Increasing Confidence in Chemical Technology – By 2025, Dow will work with non-profit, businesses and government partners to develop new predictive modeling capabilities and integrate them into 100 percent of their new product assessments. They will also improve on the understanding of chemistry’s potential and will develop and implement new predictive modeling capabilities.
Goal 6: Engaging Employees for Impact – By 2025, Dow employees will apply their talents to positively impact the lives of a billion people. Dow employees will give 600,000 hours to support students and teachers in science, technology, engineering and math education. Dow volunteers will complete 700 sustainability projects around the world.
Goal 7: World-Leading Operations Performance – By 2025, Dow will reduce its freshwater intake intensity at key water stressed sites and its waste intensity footprint by 20 percent. It will also obtain 400 megawatts of its power demand from renewable sources and strive to eliminate unplanned safety events.
Dow’s 2025 Goals, the Company’s third set of sustainability-related Goals since 1995, build upon its previous decade-long commitments. Dow’s 2005 Environment, Health & Safety Goals resulted in $5 billion in safety, waste, water and energy savings after a $1 billion investment. Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals provided more sustainable products and solutions addressing global challenges in food, energy, sustainable water supplies and improved personal health.
For more information, visit www.dow.com/sustainability/goals.