A Sustainable Future with Polyurethanes
Securing a sustainable future for all
Imagine a world in which we benefit from the durability and resilience of polyurethanes, where our cars are lighter, our buildings more energy efficient, our mattresses made from fully recycled raw materials. Imagine a world where all of these benefits come at no cost to our natural environment. Dow is working to secure a sustainable future for our industry, for our stakeholders, for our customers, and for the end-users of our products with polyurethanes created through exceptional innovation in materials science and production processes.
Sustainability along the polyurethane lifecycle
We want to unlock the full sustainability potential of polyurethanes. At Dow Polyurethanes, we have used a lifecycle approach to quantify the environmental impacts of our products and build a sustainability journey around it.
Sourcing sustainable raw materials
Current Challenge
Today, polyurethanes are mostly produced from fossil feedstocks which are a finite and valuable resource. A key challenge is to replicate bio-based feedstocks across the polyurethanes industry and scale the technology for a larger impact.
Commitment
We will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by using bio-circular sources.
Projects & Programs
Reducing manufacturing footprint
Current Challenge
In 2019, Dow’s global annual Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions were nearly 33.6 million metric ton of CO2 equivalents. Dow aims to reduce this number by 15% or 5MM MT in next 10 years.
Commitment
Dow will improve and develop technologies to reduce energy consumption, emissions, water and waste in the polyurethanes manufacturing process. Dow has formulated an action plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Projects & Programs
Dow`s Marietta, Georgia site transitions to 100% renewable power
Dow Benelux outlines roadmap to support Dutch Climate Agreement, achieve CO2 emissions neutrality
Dow to build MDI distillation and prepolymers facility in Freeport, Texas
Atlas Renewable Energy and Dow announce the signing of a Solar Energy PPA in Brazil
Managing supply chain
Current Challenge
The transportation sector accounts for around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. There is a strong need to decarbonize and manage our supply chains.
Commitment
By 2025, Dow has committed to achieving a 50% improvement in the Transportation Stewardship Index and eliminating severe transportation incidents that impact the communities through which our products, raw materials and intermediates flow.
Projects & Programs
Innovating safe and sustainable solutions
Current Challenge
Polyurethanes based solutions significantly improve the durability and energy efficiency of buildings, transportation, and refrigeration. However regional legislations calling for safer materials and more improvements in energy efficiency labelling, green building certifications etc.
Commitment
We’re continuously innovating solutions to produce safer materials, minimize climate impact and increase energy efficiency across our markets.
Projects & Programs
V PLUS PERFORM™ Panel Insulation
PASCAL™ technology for Domestic Appliances-Refrigerators
VORAGUARD™ technology for combustion modified flexible foams
Enabling a circular economy
Current Challenge
To improve polyurethanes sustainability performance, we need to focus our attention on the end of life of our products. Accelerating progress on ensuring our products can have a second life and not be lost to incineration or landfill is critical.
Commitment
Dow will now integrate circular economy solutions, where possible, for industrial and post-consumer polyurethane products.
Projects & Programs
RENUVA™ Mattress Recycling Program
New Olympic Running Track powered by VORAMER™ Binders for Mechanical Recycling
Sustainability in Action
The Dow Polyurethanes Sustainability Journey has come a long way and our initiatives do attempt to answer some key stakeholder questions.
Collaboration - The key to a successful impact
Dow is committed to making meaningful changes to our processes and we are making progress. But we can’t get there alone. We need to work in collaboration with stakeholder partners for a sizable positive impact. Collaboration with stakeholder partners and the entire value chain is critical to drive the transition to a fully circular and sustainable model.
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