LONDON - August 06, 2012
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), the "Official Chemistry Company" of the Olympic Games, suggest solutions that improve the Olympic experience for fans and athletes.
From the innovative elastomer technology in London's iconic Olympic Stadium wrap to the polyurethane adhesives in the running track, chemistry is everywhere you look in London 2012. And already, Dow is busy planning solutions for Russia's Krasnodar region in the years leading up to Sochi 2014.
"Dow is proud to offer solutions in London that will enhance the Olympic experience for more than 400 Russian athletes and fans," said Arthur Eritspokhov, Executive Director of Dow's Olympic Operations in Russia. "And with almost 40 years of business experience in Russia, we are excited to create the solutions that will power the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games."
According to Eritspokhov, some of the company's future Olympic solutions are on display at the nearly 6,000-square-meter Sochi.Park, a presentation area of Sochi 2014 in London, including:
- Summer ice skating experience: The Sochi.Park Ice Rink in London's Hyde Park features ice made possible by DOWCAL™ 20G heat transfer fluid and STYROFOAM™ insulation. Dow's proven leadership in the heat transfer fluid industry stems from years of offering customers reliability, consistency and protection. 600 square meters of Dow STYROFOAM™ insulation will help keep the ice surface cold in the middle of summer with minimum energy consumption while ensuring a consistent and reliable skating surface. Both the insulation and heat transfer fluid will be re-used after the Games.
- Recyclable carpet tiles at Sochi.Park: The entryway at Sochi.Park and Dow "Experiential Area" is covered with 400 square meters of innovative recyclable carpet tiles. Dow's elastomer products used in the carpet backing enable recycling into the same carpet product.
"Even more than in the winter, creating an ice rink in the summer forces us to come up with solutions for our client to ensure the most efficient use of energy," said Cees Lubbers, CEO and director of The Ice Company. "The utilization of Dow's STYROFOAM FLOORMATE™ 500A insulation under the ice rink system significantly decreases the energy consumption. Additionally, it reduces the ice-making process by about eight hours."
Similarly, the selection of flooring for Sochi.Park had to meet several requirements — comfort, aesthetics and sustainability. A silver certified Cradle to Cradle® carpet tile which contains a fully recyclable polyolefin based layer made with elastomers from Dow and provided by Desso was selected as it could meet all of these needs. "We introduced our new carpet tile backing in 2010. It was a challenging task, from a development point of view, but we're proud to have accomplished in part by using the polyolefin elastomers from Dow," says Dr. Pierre van Trimpont, COO of Desso, "Dow's focus on developing sustainable yet innovative solutions at the beginning of the value chain helps us reach our goals going beyond sustainability. With these carpet tiles we're proud to be a part of something that supports a more sustainable Olympics and Paralympics."
"We couldn't be more excited with the new opportunities for Dow related to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games," said George Hamilton, Vice President of Dow Olympic Operations. "As the official chemistry company of the Olympic Games, we are able to provide innovative solutions that meet the sustainability and infrastructure goals of all host countries and cities for the Games and beyond. As Dow has been showing since the Games of Lake Placid, back in 1980, our solutions can improve the Olympic experience for host cities, athletes and fans everywhere."
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
For Editorial Information:
Fernão Silveira
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 989 638 1006
Irina Kabanova
Dow Europe GmbH
+7 985 761 9315