Dow: Path to sustainability

By Xiao Zhi | China Daily | Updated: 2010-05-07 07:55

Some of the world's most pressing problems - the need for clean water, renewable energy and increasing agricultural productivity - are underlined in chemical giant Dow's 2009 China sustainability report.

The company's first sustainability report in the country, the report sets out Dow's strategy to help conserve the planet's resources and those in China.

"At Dow, we are firmly committed to working together with China in pursuit of sustainability. Through this report, we hope the Chinese public and our partners will better understand and support our sustainability strategy," said Peter Sykes, president of Dow China.

"This is the first of a series of reports we'll be issuing from now on tracking our progress along the way with a desire to be transparent about our activities."

The report highlights Zhangjiagang, Dow's biggest manufacturing site in China, which uses advanced pollution control processes, techniques to reduce waste byproducts and approaches to more efficiently use resources. It outperforms all industry players in overall energy consumption and water consumption per unit of production.

In 2009, the site reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 20.66 percent and its solid waste per production volume by 14.11 percent.

Efforts for sustainability

The report also covers Dow's partnerships with various external stakeholders to help set the standard for sustainability for the chemical industry. One example is Dow's four-year partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection to launch a cleaner production demonstration project.

This project selects small and medium enterprises in heavily polluting industries such as pharmaceuticals, printing, electroplating, papermaking and brewing, and then assists them in implementing clean production practices.

According to Dow statistics, pilot projects were started at 68 enterprises to initiate 2,130 cleaner procedures that resulted in a combined year-round economic benefit of 390 million yuan.

The improvements reduced wastewater effluent by 8.5 million tons, as well as eliminated 2.43 billion cu m in waste gas discharge and 779.36 tons of SO2 emissions while saving 20 million kWh of electricity, 350 million tons of water and 122,000 tons of coal.

Innovative solutions

As part of Dow' core business strategy, the company's business divisions and research capabilities work together with customers, the government, enterprises and academic institutions to develop innovations in environmental protection and sustainable development.

In one effort, Dow Coating Materials joined with its customers to use a new low odor, water-based paint free from formaldehyde to help provide a safer living environment.

Another component is water treatment facilities equipped with Dow reverse osmosis membranes.

In use at facilities including the Beixiaohe wastewater treatment plant, at Beijing Capital International Airport and the Beijing Economic Technological Development Area, Dow equipment helps treat 45,000 cu m of water each day in Beijing, greatly decreasing consumption of natural water and helping the city reach its goal of 50 percent wastewater reuse.

In April the company with its partners held the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, a 6 km run or walk over a 24-hour period in 150 countries and regions. The event also featured concerts and water education activities.