Dow
CEF Lead Executives
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ANDRE ARGENTONList Item 1
Chief Sustainability Officer
Argenton is responsible for corporate EH&S governance and corporate sustainability, including the reporting and disclosure of Dow’s ESG performance. Andre joined Dow in 1999, most recently serving as Vice President of Research and Development, responsible for leading a broad portfolio of research programs and world-leading innovation capabilities. Previously, Andre was the global R&D director of Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure. His responsibilities included managing the innovation pipeline across multiple chemistry envelopes including Polyurethanes and Industrial Solutions. Argenton earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Sao Paulo and joined Dow Brazil in 1999. While in Brazil, he developed application technologies in surfactants, chelants, biocides and water soluble polymers. Argenton relocated to the U.S. in 2007 where he held multiple leadership roles in the research groups of Home & Personal Care, Polyglycols & Surfactants and Chelating Agents. In 2010, he became the senior strategy leader for Global R&D working for Dow's Chief Technology Officer. From 2012‐2015, Argenton was director for Dow Corporate Venturing, External Technology, and the R&D Statistics Group where he was responsible for the pipeline of programs in disruptive technologies and new business development. Argenton is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
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CARRIE HOUTMANList Item 2
Global Sustainability Director - Climate
Oversees efforts and strategies around climate, water and biodiversity.Organizes a team of technical experts to support and guide the Company efforts on key sustainability priorities and provides strategic input for external ESG reporting. In her previous role as the Director of the Global Public Policy and Issues Management team, she was responsible for the company’s policy and strategy development to matters of key strategic importance for Dow, including addressing climate change and resolving plastic waste management issues. Carrie joined Dow in 1996 in technical service and development. Throughout her career, she has spent more than 12 years in Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability. In her 13 years in Government Affairs, she led cross-functional issues teams to manage key challenges to Dow’s licenses to operate and sell, represented Dow at trade associations, lobbied on Capitol Hill, and staffed Dow’s Chairman & CEO and other senior executives with the Obama White House, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Australian Growth Centre Programme. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Carrie is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and is a Leadership Midland alumnus. She is on the Board of Directors for the Saginaw Children’s Zoo and is on the Board of Trustees for the Keystone Policy Center. She has also completed programs in Risk Analysis and Risk Communication at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
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AMY BEASLEY
Strategy Director, Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability
Dr. Beasley joined Dow in 2015 as a scientist in the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) organization and consultant to various business divisions within Dow. In this role, she provided technical expertise in human and environmental risk assessment, exposure assessment, and biocidal product safety. She represented Dow externally with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, leading international teams to advance the science in animal alternatives and big data innovation. Prior to joining Dow, Dr. Beasley held positions in sales leadership, training, and project management. Dr. Beasley earned a Bachelor of Science in biology/genetics in 2011 and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences with a concentration in environmental toxicology in 2015, both from Middle Tennessee State University. She has authored a number of external publications and was selected for the prestigious Pellston Workshop in 2015. Dr. Beasley currently serves on the board of directors for Inforum, a professional organization in Detroit, Michigan that drives leadership development of women in business, and ShelterHouse, which provides emergency shelter, counseling and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence in the mid-Michigan area.
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ÓONAGH MCARDLE
Winner, CEF Leadership Program (2017)
EMEAI Sustainability Leader, Corporate Sustainability
Óonagh joined Dow in 2012 specializing in Supply Chain Sustainability. In 2018, she took on the role of EMEAI Sustainability Leader within the Corporate EH&S and Sustainability function. Óonagh has responsibility for the development of the EMEAI Sustainability Strategy and facilitating the EMEAI PMO, while engaging with customer accounts on sustainability, supporting the Dow business units and representing Dow in external forums. She is the Global Leader for End-To-End (E2E) Transparency in Dow, overseeing Supply Chain sustainability assessment and on-site ESG-related audit requests, including human rights and labour practices. She also leads the EMEAI Sustainability Academy in Dow in conjunction with Cambridge University. Prior to Dow, she worked for PwC and local Government agencies. Óonagh was selected as one of Sustainable Nation Ireland’s ’40 under 40’ Sustainability Leaders of the Future in Ireland; named one of the most ‘Influential Women in Irish Logistics, Transport and Supply Chain’ by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport; and nominated in the Next Gen Category at the WBCSD Leading Women Awards. She holds an MSc/PGDip in Environmental Engineering and an Executive MBA with specialization in Sustainability Management from SUMAS Business School, Switzerland.
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JOHNATHAN DIMURO
Winner CEF Leadership Program (2012)
Director, EH&S Auditing
Johnathan ("John") is responsible for EH&S auditing for Dow. He previously led Dow's North American Product Regulatory Services group, comprised of regulatory subject matter experts that interpret and advise Dow Businesses on existing regulations, provide guidance on product regulatory compliance, and support regulatory advocacy efforts on proposed new regulations or regulatory changes impacting Dow products. John previously held the role of Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy - Dow Collaboration, focused on integrating the value of nature into Dow’s decision making. He also was responsible for Dow’s Annual Sustainability Report and Dow’s single point of contact for sustainability ratings and rankings agencies such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index. John joined Dow in 2006, supporting environmental capital projects, process improvements, new technology development, and corporate sustainability projects. He received his B.S in Chemical Engineering and B.A. in German Language from the University of Rhode Island (URI). As a graduate of the URI International Engineering Program, he also studied for one year at the University of Braunschweig in Germany. He is a Harry S. Truman Scholar and a graduate of Cambridge University in England where he received a Masters of Philosophy in Engineering for Sustainable Development.
Sustainability Goals
Sustainability Goals
2025 Sustainability Goals
Building Courageous Collaborations
- Leading the Blueprints: Dow will help lead the transition to a sustainable planet and society, including the development of at least 5 societal blueprints that integrate public policy solution, science and technology, and value chain innovation. Aligned with SDGs 4, 5, 8, 10, 11 12, 16, 17.
- Advancing a Circular Economy: Dow will advance a circular economy by delivering solutions that close the resource loops in key markets, and will collaborate to implement six major projects that deliver solutions and advance the circular economy. Aligned with SDGs 9, 14, 15.
- Safe Materials for a Sustainable Planet: Dow will implement 10 innovative alternatives; implement a priority chemicals policy and eliminate 10 priority compounds; develop 10 courageous collaborations to advance the conversation on product safety; and share 10 examples of products/applications not pursued. Aligned with SDGs 1, 2, 3, 11, 12.
Unlocking the Potential of People & Science
- Delivering Breakthrough Innovations: Dow will innovate to increase the positive net impact of products across all markets such that the benefit to global sustainable development exceeds burdens by 4X. Dow will be a leader in energy and GHG life cycle management by ensuring the ratio of benefits of our product portfolio to burdens is at 3:1. Aligned with SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
- Engaging for Impact - Communities, Employees, Customers: By 2025, Dow employees worldwide will apply their passion and expertise to positively impact the lives of 1 billion people.
- World-Leading Operations Performance: We will maintain world-leading operations performance in natural resource efficiency, environment, health, and safety. Goals include:
- Eliminate fatalities and maintain the total recordable injury and illness rate at industry-leading levels
- Improve raw material efficiency utilization index by 10 percent relative to the 2015 baseline
- Reduce freshwater intake intensity at key water-stressed sites by 20%
- Reduce waste intensity footprint by 20%
- Offset growth in emissions of priority compounds, VOCs, and NOx
- Not exceed Dow’s absolute GHG 2006 baseline
- Obtain 750 MW of power demand from renewable sources by 2025
Valuing Nature
- Valuing Nature: By 2025, Dow will deliver $1 billion in value through projects that are good for business and better for nature. By 2020, all capital, real estate, new business development and new product development projects at Dow will be screened for nature value, using tools we developed with The Nature Conservancy to measure the value of ecosystem services. Aligned with SDGs 3, 10, 14, 15.
Overview/ framework and KPIs for 2025 goals
2030 Sustainability Goals
- Enable 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled by 2030
- Transform plastic waste and other forms of alternative feedstock to commercialize three million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030
2035 Sustainability Goals
- Ensure 100% of its products sold into packaging applications are reusable or recyclable by 2035
2050 Sustainability Goals
- Achieve carbon neutrality by 2050
Latest Sustainability Report
(June 2023)
Highlights
- Outlined detailed carbon reduction plans for each of Dow's 25 highest carbon-emitting sites, which collectively account for approximately 95% of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
- Expanded access to renewable power capacity to more than 1,000 MW, surpassing its 2025 target.
- Reached significant milestones toward the planned construction of the world's first net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site.
- Expanded Dow’s “Stop the Waste” sustainability target to “Transform the Waste,” with a new commitment to commercialize three million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030.
- Expanded partnership with Mura Technology to construct multiple world-scale advanced recycling facilities in the U.S. and Europe.
- Added a quantifiable carbon emissions reduction metric to its long-term incentive compensation program.
- Launched the Dow Well-Being Portal for employees, offering a variety of resources geared toward supporting the well-being of our employees – emotionally, financially, mentally, physically, and socially. 65% of employees enrolled in its initial launch year.
- Surpassed company target for certified diverse supplier spend by 12%, achieving approximately $275 million globally and retaining 84% of diverse suppliers.
- Increased global representation of women to 29.5% in 2022, from 28.9% in 2021, and increased U.S. ethnic minority representation to 27.5% in 2022, from 26.0% in 2021.
Recent News
2024
Announced the close of its inaugural green bond offering, totaling $1.25 billion, to support the company’s decarbonization and circular economy strategies. (Feb 2024)
2023
Announced it will build the world’s first net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions integrated ethylene and derivatives facility in Canada. This $6.5 billion project will both retrofit existing facilities and expand ethylene and polyethylene capacity. The upgrades will convert off-gas to hydrogen, which will be used for fuel, and CO2 emissions will be captured and stored. This is expected to decarbonize 20% of Dow’s global ethylene capacity. (Dec 2023)
Smart Freight Centre (SFC) Exchange Network — Published a Proof of Concept (PoC) Evaluation Report, a first step in establishing the SFC Exchange Network to promote data sharing between transport value chain actors and increase carbon transparency. The report assessed three key criteria: the feasibility of technical implementation, peer-to-peer data exchange, and willingness to share data. It also explored options for future governance and assurance frameworks. The results show the need for future efforts in the industry and the PoC “provided a momentum and promising results to continue towards a full build.” CEF members Amazon and Dow are participants and contributors, and CEF member McKinsey is a knowledge partner. (Aug 2023)
DOW / NEW ENERGY BLUE — Announced a long-term supply agreement in North America in which New Energy Blue will create bio-based ethylene from renewable agricultural residues, reducing carbon emissions from plastic production. This is the first agreement in North America to generate plastic source materials from corn stover (stalks and leaves). Under the agreement, Dow will support the design of a new facility in Iowa that will process 275,000 tons of corn stover per year and also has commercial supply options for the next four New Energy Blue projects. (May 2023)
Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies (LCET) R&D Hub — Seven members of the LCET initiative (including CEF members BASF and Dow) signed a collaboration agreement to establish a new R&D Hub to develop new technologies for waste processing with a lower CO2 footprint and greater levels of plastic waste recycling. This is the first project launched by the Initiative, with research projects expected to launch in the second half of 2023. (May 2023)
The Open for Business Coalition, made up of 34 global companies, denounced anti-LGBTQ legislation passed by Uganda's parliament last week, warning it would curb investment flows, deter tourists, undermine companies’ ability to hire a diverse workforce, and damage the country's economy. The legislation criminalizes identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, and imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” The coalition includes CEF members Dow, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Meta, Microsoft, and Unilever. (April 2023)
DOW / X-ENERGY — Signed a joint development agreement to develop a small modular reactor (SMR) at one of Dow’s Gulf Coast sites to provide both power and steam. The agreement includes up to $50 million in engineering work, with half of this coming from Dow and half from the Department of Energy. The companies also aim to develop and license technology to other industrial customers. (March 2023)
Community-First Environmental Action (Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC)) — This white paper discusses how corporations across the world are interfacing with surrounding communities on issues related to sustainability, conservation and education. It explores opportunities for minimizing unavoidable impacts, rectifying impacts, repairing relationships and creating new approaches for working in and with host communities. It details key steps in community-first environmental action, including effective community engagement, knowledge exchange, and long-term connection, and provides case studies of several WHC-certified programs exemplifying these actions (including from CEF members Boeing, Dow, General Motors, and WM). (Jan 2023)
Announced it will accelerate its sustainability targets by expanding its Stop the Waste target to a Transform the Waste target. Dow will transform plastic waste and other forms of alternative feedstock to commercialize three million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030. To support this, Dow will build industrial ecosystems to collect, reuse, or recycle waste and expand its portfolio to meet growing demand. (Jan 2023)
End-to-End GHG Reporting of Logistics Operations
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This new guidance, released by Smart Freight Centre and WBCSD, in partnership with over 30 companies, advances the quantification and sharing of logistics emissions and supports the logistics industry as they move toward net-zero. The guidance is designed to enable companies to better understand and track their logistics emissions on a granular operational level and to quantify the footprint of end-to-end logistics emissions, from supplier to final customer. It builds upon and complements two existing frameworks, the Smart Freight Centre’s Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework 2.0 (for logistics emissions) and WBCSD’s Pathfinder Framework (for product life cycle emissions).
Participating CEF members include Amazon, Dow, Siemens, and Unilever.
(Jan 2023)
2022
WM / DOW — Announced a collaboration to increase residential recycling of plastic films, by allowing consumers in select markets to recycle these directly in their curbside recycling. The initiative is starting with a pilot program in the Chicago area but will expand across the U.S. Once at full capacity, the program is expected to help WM divert more than 120,000 metric tons of plastic films from landfills annually. Dow will support this initiative by incorporating recycled content into its products. (Dec 2022)
RUBICON CARBON — Launched as a new carbon credit platform to scale and provide easier access to high-integrity emissions reduction solutions by vetting projects and their credits. Rubicon received an initial capital commitment of $300 million from CEF member TPG, with a total capital commitment target of $1 billion. As part of its launch, Rubicon also formed a coalition of corporate sustainability leaders to help guide its platform and product development, including CEF members Bank of America, Dow, GE, Honeywell, J.P. Morgan, JetBlue, McKinsey & Co., and TD Bank. (Dec 2022)
Incentives for Scope 3 supply chain decarbonization: accelerating implementation (WBCSD and PwC) — This new report pulls together insights on “decarbonization levers” presented in the past year, summarizing outcomes from WBCSD’s Incentivizing Supply Chain Decarbonization working group, which was set up to deepen the practical guidance shared and drive action on reducing Scope 3 emissions. Levers identified include: decarbonization criteria in procurement, beneficial terms, longer-term investments, mandatory carbon reporting, public recognition & co-branding, and engagement beyond tier 1 suppliers. CEF members in the working group include Unilever, Dow, Siemens, P&G, and Chevron. (Nov 2022)
Announced it will evolve the company’s “Stop the Waste” target into a “Transform the Waste” target. By 2030, Dow committed to transform plastic waste to deliver 3 million metric tons (MMT) per year of “circular and renewable solutions,” replacing its previous goal of 1 MMT. To do this it will build industrial systems to reuse or recycle waste. (Oct 2022)
Scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Dow have developed a process to transform polyethylene (PE), the most widely produced plastic, into propylene, a key ingredient in making polypropylene (PP), the second-most widely produced plastic. If scalable, this could convert waste PE into new PP, reducing both plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions. (Oct 2022)
DOW / MURA — Dow and advanced recycling company, Mura Technology, announced a commitment to “construct multiple world-scale 120,000-metric-ton (MT)-capacity advanced recycling facilities in the U.S. and Europe,” potentially growing capacity up to 600,000 MT per year by 2030. Mura will develop the plants, with Dow committing to become a key purchaser of the output. The technology will chemically convert difficult to recycle plastic waste into a recycled plastic feedstock to produce virgin-grade plastic. The first plant is expected to be operational in 2023, processing 20,000 metric tons each year. (Aug 2021)
The Valuing Nature Blueprint (Dow) — Developed with Dow’s long-time partner, The Nature Conservancy, to guide companies and stakeholders through the steps Dow used to establish a business case for integrating nature conservation across the company and undertaking collaborations to improve ecosystem and community impacts where the company operates. Case studies and learnings are drawn from efforts underpinning Dow’s Valuing Nature goal, which has achieved more than half its $1 billion target of “delivering value through business-driven projects that enhance nature.” (May 2022)
SPHERE: the packaging sustainability framework (WBCSD) — A new framework to help companies choose the most sustainable packaging option for specific needs and delivery systems. SPHERE can assess the environmental impacts of packaging for a particular product or identify company-level portfolio hotspots based on six principles, including circularity, impact on climate change and biodiversity loss. CEF members Dow, Microsoft, and Sealed Air were among the 12 companies that helped develop the framework. (April 2022)
Consortium on quantifying end-to-end GHG logistics emissions — Smart Freight Centre and WBCSD are leading a new consortium of over 25 global companies to co-develop and implement guidance to quantify the impact of GHG logistics emissions from supplier to final customer. The effort builds upon Smart Freight Centre’s Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework 2.0 and WBCSD’s Pathfinder Framework and is supported by the World Economic Forum and participating organizations including CEF members Dow Chemical, Siemens, Unilever, and UPS, with analytical insights and advisory guidance, provided by McKinsey & Co. The guidance is expected to be published by the end of 2022. (April 2022)
2021
The Department of Energy (DOE) released a
progress update
on its
Better Plants
program,
which aims to decarbonize the industrial sector. Over 250
manufacturers and water utilities
have participated in the program and
cumulatively saved $9.3 billion in energy costs and over 1.9 quadrillion BTUs of energy—more energy than Wisconsin uses annually. Program partners include CEF members
3M, Dow, Ford, General Electric, General Motors, International Paper, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble,
and Schneider Electric.
(Oct 2021)
MORE »
The World Economic Forum and the
Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies initiative (LCET),
a group of chemical-sector companies (started in 2019), have agreed to formalize the LCET
as a first-of-its-kind platform to develop and upscale low-carbon climate technologies that decarbonize the chemical-production value chain. LCET corporate partners include CEF members
BASF and Dow,
with additional support from the
Mission Possible Partnership.
(Oct 2021)
MORE »
DOW / RALPH LAUREN — The companies jointly
released a
manual
to open-source their ECOFAST™ Pure Sustainable Textile Treatment
and help the textile industry standardize a more efficient, sustainable cotton-dyeing process. The treatment enables up to 90% less chemicals, 50% less dye, 50% less water, and 40% less energy. (Oct 2021)
MORE »
Plans to build the
world’s first net-zero carbon emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site, in Alberta, Canada. The investment will enable the company to
produce about 3.5 million tons of certified low- to zero-carbon emissions polyethylene and ethylene derivatives,
decarbonize about 20% of its global ethylene capacity,
grow its polyethylene supply
by about 15%, and see about
$1 billion of EBITDA growth
across its value chain by 2030. Dow also expects to allocate nearly
$1 billion of capex each year for a phased decarbonization of its global asset base. (Oct 2021)
MORE »
Houston network for carbon capture and storage (CCS) —
11 petrochemical and energy companies—including CEF members
Chevron, Dow, ExxonMobil,
and
NRG Energy— agreed to“begin discussing plans” to develop a hub of CCS projects in Houston, Texas, which
Exxon proposed in April. The project is estimated to cost around $100 billion and, with "appropriate policies in place,"
could capture and store 50 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2030 and 100 million per year by 2040.
(Sept 2021)
MORE »
32 companies that have prioritized their workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
(e.g., by establishing safety practices, disclosing demographic details to drive racial equity, worker benefits)
have outperformed companies on the Russell 1000 by 8.6%, according to a JUST Capital
ranking of companies “leading for their workers” by industry. CEF members
BlackRock, Chevron, Comcast, Dow, Ford, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lockheed Martin, McKesson,
and Procter & Gamble are among the 32 companies featured. (Sept 2021)
MORE »
TPG —
Announced a
first close of $5.4 billion for the TPG Rise Climate Fund, the largest climate-focused fund in the world. Over
20 global companies—including CEF members
3M, ADM,
Alphabet, Apple,
Bank of America, Boeing, Dow, GE, General Motors, Honeywell,
and
TD Bank Group—participated in the close and will form a
Rise Climate Coalition. The fund will take a broad sector approach, focusing on growth equity to value-added infrastructure to
driving solutions for 5 climate sub-sectors. (Aug 2021)
MORE »
The Path to a Circular Economy for Plastics (Fortune, Dow) — Demonstrates a growing appetite for transitioning plastics to a circular economy in the manufacturing, health care, construction, retail, government, and nonprofit sectors. 3 significant findings in their survey of 300 C-suite and other senior executives include (July 2021):
- 68% of executives said waste reduction has had a “substantial” or “very large” influence on their organization’s strategic direction in the last 2 years
- 56% said difficulty collaborating across the value chain is 1 of the top 3 obstacles in developing a plastics circular economy
- 70% of C-suite executives said they’ve treated recycling as a higher priority since the start of the pandemic. 59% have prioritized climate change in general. 57% said reducing air pollution is a prominent goal.
Joined CDP Supply Chain Program, as part of its expanded Sustainable Procurement multigenerational plan, to track climate impacts in the supply chain and identify collaborative decarbonization opportunities with suppliers. (May 2021)
Closed Loop Circular Plastics Fund — A new investment fund managed by Closed Loop Partners that seeks to recycle over 500 million pounds of plastic by investing in scalable recycling technologies, equipment upgrades, and infrastructure solutions.
The fund will invest in 3 strategic areas: (1) Access, (2) Optimization, and (3) Manufacturing.
Dow, LyondellBasell,
and NOVA Chemicals contributed an initial investment of $25 million towards the fund.
Additional stakeholders across the plastics value chain may join. (May 2021)
MORE »
The Alliance for Market Solutions launched an advocacy and lobbying campaign—backed by Dow and ExxonMobil—to garner US political support for market-based solutions to climate change, including carbon pricing. (May 2021)
Over 80 companies—with combined annual revenue of $1.5 trillion, $341 billion in assets, and over 3 million U.S. employees—called on federal lawmakers to support ambitious climate policy action to address the climate crisis and advance environmental justice
as part of the Ceres-led “LEAD on Climate” advocacy day. CEF members participating included Amazon, CBRE, Dell Technologies, Dow, HP Inc., McDonald’s, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Samsung Electronics America, Siemens,
and Unilever. (May 2021)
MORE »
ACI’s 1.5°C Climate Challenge — The American Cleaning Institute (ACI), representing the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain, released an
industry roadmap for achieving net-zero emissions and challenged companies to align corporate strategies and targets to a 1.5 °C global warming scenario.
An initial 15 ACI members have committed to its 1.5°C Climate Challenge, including
BASF, Colgate-Palmolive, Dow, Ecolab,
and Shell. (May 2021)
MORE »
DOW / Mura Technology — Announced a partnership to produce circular plastic feedstocks to be converted into recycled plastics to advance the circular economy and keep plastic waste out of the environment. (April 2021)
Ralph Lauren unveiled “Color on Demand”—dubbed the “world’s first scalable zero wastewater cotton dyeing system”—which it created in collaboration with chemical companies Dow and Huntsman Textile Effects and textile equipment manufacturers Jeanologia and Corob. The first phase of Color on Demand—which involves a textile treatment developed by Dow—uses 40% less water, 85% fewer chemicals, 90% less energy, and reduces the carbon footprint 60% compared to traditional cotton dyeing processes. Ralph Lauren plans to use the platform in more than 80% of the Company’s solid cotton products by 2025. (March 2021)
Value Chain Carbon Transparency Pathfinder — New WBCSD-led initiative to define and accelerate the wide-scale exchange of verified primary carbon emissions data between businesses to increase scope 3 emissions transparency. Over a dozen companies are involved, including BASF, Chevron, Dow, Microsoft, and Unilever. Additional partners welcome. (March 2021)
A major new coalition, “America is All In,” launched to mobilize bold climate ambitions nationally and uphold the federal government’s commitment to climate action—specifically to cut U.S. emissions in half or more by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. Co-led by UN Special Climate Envoy Michael Bloomberg, the coalition effectively merges We Are Still In and America’s Pledge and is the most expansive effort ever assembled to support climate action in the U.S., involving U.S. businesses, cities, states, tribal nations, schools, and faith groups, health care organizations, and cultural institutions. Large companies involved include: 3M, Adobe, Amazon, Apple, ADM, Autodesk, BASF, Best Buy, Cargill, Carrier Corporation, The Clorox Company, Coca-Cola, Danone N.A., Dell Technologies, Dow Inc., DSM N.A., DuPont, eBay, Edison International, Facebook, Gap, General Mills, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Inc., IKEA U.S., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Controls, Kellogg Company, LafargeHolcim, Levi Strauss & Co., L’Oréal, Mars Incorporated, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Mondelez International, National Grid, Nestle, NIKE, Novozymes, PG&E Corporation, PepsiCo, Salesforce, Siemens, Sony Corporation of America, Starbucks, Steelcase, Target, Tiffany & Co., Trane Technologies, Verizon, VF Corporation, Walmart, and Waste Management. (February 2021)
MIT partnered with 13 companies to launch the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC), which will co-create and accelerate shared innovation solutions that address climate change. Inaugural member companies include Accenture, Apple, Boeing, Cargill, Dow, IBM, Inditex, LafargeHolcim, MathWorks, Nexplore, Rand-Whitney Containerboard (a Kraft Group Company), PepsiCo, and Verizon. (February 2021)
Over 60 companies committed to the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, an ESG reporting and disclosure framework developed by the WEF and its International Business Council that consists of 21 core and 34 expanded metrics. Companies pledging to implement this reporting framework include Bank of America, Dell Technologies, Dow, Ecolab, Fidelity International, HP, Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Siemens, and Unilever. (January 2021)
2020
Dow announced the winners of the 2020 Packaging Innovation Awards, which recognize “breakthrough packaging achievements in design, technology, sustainability and user experience.” The highest honor, the 2020 Diamond Award, was awarded to Henkel AG & Co KGaA’s collaboration with the Plastic Bank to develop a new line of sustainable cosmetic packaging. (November 2020)
Dow announced new sustainability goals, which include commitments to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, enable 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled by 2030, and ensure 100% of its products sold into packaging applications are reusable or recyclable by 2035. (June 2020)
A group of more than 300 businesses — including Dow, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Tiffany & Co., Trane Technologies, VF Corporation, and Visa — have called on U.S. Congress to “build back a better economy by infusing resilient, long-term climate solutions into future economic recovery plans.” The effort was organized by Ceres and other partner organizations. (May 2020)
Dow committed $3 million to support global relief organizations and non-profits involved in the fight against COVID-19. (March 2020)
2019
A group of CEOs from more than 70 companies and union leaders, representing 12.5 million workers, signed a joint statement calling for the United States to stay in the Paris Agreement. CEF member company signatories include Apple, Bank of America, Dow, Ecolab, Google, HP, Ingersoll Rand, Mastercard, Microsoft, NRG Energy, Patagonia, PepsiCo, Tiffany & Co., Unilever, Verizon, and The Walt Disney Company. (Dec 2019)
A group of 13 CEOs from U.S. and Global Fortune 500 companies — including BASF, Dow, Ford Motor Company, and Unilever — have launched the CEO Climate Dialogue, an initiative aimed at working collaboratively with lawmakers to implement long-term climate legislation at the federal-level. The goal of the initiative is to “build bipartisan support for climate policies that will increase regulatory and business certainty, reduce climate risk, and spur investment and innovation needed to meet science-based emissions reduction targets.” (May 2019)