Originally published at corporate.dow.com. Dow ranked No. 19 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2021.
Two series of polyurethane products from Dow have just won the Sustainability Product of the Year awards in the 2021 Sustainability Awards program of Business Intelligence Group (BIG).
The Sustainability Awards honor those people, teams and organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission.
“Dow’s teams continue to partner with our customers and the value chain to create solutions with a positive impact on sustainability,” said David Parrillo, vice president of Research and Development, Dow Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure. “We are proud to be recognized for these products and for our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, and inclusive material science company in the world.”
The two award-winning products and technologies include:
Dow Polyurethanes – Dow SPECFLEX™ Microcellular Polyurethane
SPECFLEX™ Microcellular Polyurethane has been applied in millions of shared bicycles today, as a greener way for individual travels compared to taking conventional gasoline vehicles. SPECFLEX™ Microcellular Polyurethane also contributes to carbon reduction when making bicycles. A preliminary sustainability evaluation based on the full life cycle analysis of tires for shared bicycles estimates that SPECFLEX™ brings significant carbon reduction per kg of the product sold, compared to air-filled rubbers and conventional foamed polyurethanes. Dow’s SPECFLEX™ holds promise to be applied in all low to middle-speed vehicles globally and enable a cost-efficient, comfortable, and sustainable individual mobility platform.
Dow Polyurethanes – Dow SYNTEGRA™ Polyurethane Dispersions for Microfiber
As ECO solution in microfiber leather application, SYNTEGRA™ PUDs combine new, exceptional polymer chemistry with a distinct BLUEWAVE™ process. The synthetic leather products produced with SYNTEGRA™ PUDs have superior hand feel, mechanical properties, and no solvent residue. Dow’s solutions also improve the environment and health of workers by avoiding massive amounts of DMF usage and significantly bring CO2 reduction.
“We are proud to reward and recognize Dow for their sustainability efforts,” said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group, “It is clear to our judges that their vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world. Congratulations!”
At Dow, 80 percent of research and development projects focus on climate protection, the circular economy, and safer materials. This aligns with Dow’s efforts to address climate change and plastic waste.
By 2030, Dow intends to reduce its net annual carbon emissions by 5 million metric tons versus its 2020 baseline (15 percent reduction); and enable 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused, or recycled through its direct actions and partnerships. Dow aims to close the loop by enabling 100 percent of Dow products sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035. And the Company intends to be carbon neutral by 2050.
