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We recognize that Dow’s activities impact broadly across the social sphere: the people we employ around the globe, the communities in which we operate, the end-users of our products and the governments and municipalities that depend on the revenues we generate. Throughout 2004, we worked diligently to meet our obligations to each of those groups: to deliver on their expectations, to address their concerns, and to respond openly and honestly to their questions and their issues.
- Global contributions in 2004 rose to $17.1 million, a slight increase compared with 2003. In response to the devastation and human suffering caused by December’s tsunami across the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, Dow pledged a further $5 million in various forms of aid to those affected by the disaster. And Dow employees and retirees around the world contributed $1 million in additional donations for the tsunami effort through the Company’s matching gift program.
- In 2004, Dow paid $1.17 billion in corporate income tax, property taxes, employer’s portion of payroll taxes and various other non-income taxes.
- We maintained our focus on employee health. For example, through our occupational health activities in the United States, we helped more than 1,000 employees obtain appropriate and expedient medical care following illness or injury, whether it was work or non-work related. For the employee, it meant a faster and fuller recovery, with 100 percent of respondents in follow-up surveys stating that the service had been of benefit. For the Company, it prevented an estimated 5,000 days away from work.
- We re-aligned our Diversity and Inclusion activities, making them more directly accountable to the Office of the Chief Executive. The Diversity and Inclusion team is now reviewing Human Resources policies, work processes, programs, practices and metrics to ensure Dow employees are given every opportunity to achieve both their professional and personal goals, regardless of who they are or where they are from.
- We continued to make good on our promise to deliver products that are essential to human progress. For example, Dow AgroSciences announced a strategic alliance with the Canadian National Research Council’s Institute for Biological Sciences, focused on reducing the incidence of food-borne pathogens in the world’s meat supply through the use of innovative, plant-made technologies. And Dowpharma reinforced its commitment to helping pharmaceutical companies improve the absorption and, therefore, the effectiveness of certain drugs when it announced an extension of its research and development work into drug solubilization with the University of Texas at Austin in the United States.
Looking to the future, we are in the process of developing a new set of social and environmental goals for the next decade – goals which, once again, will drive breakthrough performance and keep us on a sustainable track toward maximizing long-term shareholder value.
| EMPLOYEES BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA |
| |
00(1) |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
| Total Employees |
41,900 |
52,700 |
50,000 |
46,400 |
43,200 |
| North America |
55% |
54% |
55% |
55% |
54% |
| Europe |
33% |
32% |
31% |
30% |
31% |
| Latin America |
8% |
8% |
8% |
8% |
8% |
| Asia Pacifc |
4% |
6% |
6% |
7% |
7% |
| Male Employees |
76% |
76% |
76% |
76% |
76% |
| Female Employees |
24% |
24% |
24% |
24% |
24% |
(1)Excludes Union Carbide
| Community Acceptance Scores |
| Site |
Goal(1) |
Survey Score(2) |
| Altona, Australia |
60 |
63 (1999) |
| Aratu, Brazil |
60 |
71 (2001) |
| Bahia Blanca, Argentina |
60 |
48 (2000) |
| Dow Olefinverbund GmbH, Germany |
80 |
77 (2003) |
| Cartagena, Colombia |
60 |
67 (2001) |
| Drusenheim, France |
60 |
69 (2002) |
| Fort Saskatchewan, Canada |
80 |
84 (2003) |
| Freeport, U.S.A. |
80 |
81 (2003) |
| Guaruja, Brazil |
60 |
75 (2001) |
| Jundiai, Brazil |
60 |
89 (2001) |
| King’s Lynn, U.K. |
60 |
74 (2002) |
| Midland, U.S.A. |
80 |
80 (2001) |
| Plaquemine, U.S.A. |
80 |
76 (2004) |
| Prentiss, Canada |
60 |
69 (2003) |
| Rheinmünster, Germany |
60 |
74 (2002) |
| San Lorenzo, Argentina |
60 |
63 (2000) |
| Sarnia, Canada |
60 |
71 (2003) |
| Seadrift, U.S.A. |
80 |
73 (2001) |
| Stade, Germany |
80 |
77 (2002) |
| Taft (St. Charles), U.S.A. |
80 |
75 (2004) |
| Tarragona, Spain |
60 |
57 (2000) |
| Terneuzen, The Netherlands |
80 |
86 (2002) |
| Texas City, U.S.A. |
80 |
67 (2001) |
| West Virginia, U.S.A. |
80 |
84 (2002) |
(1)Favorability goals are based on an evaluation of the individual site’s business importance and impact on the local community.
(2)Most recent score and year in which survey was conducted.
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