Dow and Rio 2016 Delivering an Unprecedented Carbon Legacy in Brazil

Through cross-sector collaboration the Olympic Games are leaving a legacy of low-carbon technologies in Brazil and Latin America

RIO DE JANEIRO - August 01, 2016 - The Rio 2016 Olympic Games are making history by leaving a significant legacy of low-carbon technologies in Latin America while set to balance 2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents (CO2e).

 

The Rio 2016 Organizing Committee and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Gamesand Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016, announced today that more than 2 million tonnes of third-party-verified greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions are projected to be delivered by all projects and actions implemented to fulfill the commitment of hosting a global event with minimal carbon impact. Through unique cross-sector collaboration, the Olympic Games act as a catalyst for the adoption of more sustainable solutions that are relevant to the economy and society.

“Dow’s partnership with the Olympic Movement enables us to use the platform, of sport and the Olympic Rings to demonstrate how our science and technologies can advance the adoption of lower-carbon solutions” said Louis A. Vega, Dow global vice president of Olympic & Sports Solutions. “The Rio 2016 Olympic Games have provided us with a unique opportunity to start a new dialog and collaborate with industry leaders within the region to introduce solutions that will benefit generations to come.”

Building on the successful implementation of the “Sustainable Future” program, that enabled the mitigation of the direct carbon footprint of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter GamesOrganizing Committee before the Opening Ceremony, Dow was selected as the Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016 in September 2014and developed a portfolio of projects in the areas of agriculture, industry and infrastructure that have already delivered 100,000 tonnes of verified GHG emission reductions to date. These projects will continue to generate climate benefits throughout the realization period – which goes through 2026.

“Ensuring the delivery of Games with a minimal carbon footprint is one of the key highlights of our sustainability strategy,” said Tania Braga, head of sustainability and accessibility for the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee. “Most importantly, we were able to create momentum by engaging key industries in Brazil and in Latin America towards a more sustainable way to operate. The collaborations inspired by the Olympic Games, and lead by our partner Dow, have already created a positive legacy in our region.”

Leaving a lasting impact

As Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016, Dow committed to delivering third-party-verified GHG emission reductions of 500,000 tonnes CO2e by 2026 to balance the footprint of hosting and staging of the Games, while also aspiring to generate an additional 1.5 million tonnes of climate benefits to address societal associated emissions, such as spectator travel.

Working with Rio 2016, Dow designed a tailor-made program to address the environmental and technology needs of Brazil and Latin America by introducing low-carbon solutions and practices within key sectors of the economy. Dow’s portfolio of projects enables businesses to enhance productivity and conserve energy by switching from fossil to renewable energy sources, optimizing resources in agriculture and livestock farming and building capacity for more energy-efficient infrastructure, leading to long-term changes in the market.

Dow selected Environmental Resources Management (ERM)to provide third-party validation of projects against the Dow Climate Solutions Frameworkand to verify GHG emissions reductions towards the mitigation of Rio 2016’s owned and associated footprints.

“Our responsibility has been to conduct an independent assessment, validating the project plans and verifying the reductions and conservative projections of the impacts throughout the realization period,” explained Braulio Pikman, senior partner at ERM. “Our extensive process, which combines auditing of project documentation with verifying actual implementation evidences, determined that the portfolio is expected to generate more than 2.2 million tonnes of climate benefits through the end of 2026.”

For generations to come

In addition to the carbon mitigation goals, Dow and Rio 2016 committed to reach half a million people in Brazil to raise awareness of sustainability and climate change. Dow engaged decision-makers within the construction industry by hosting seminars on energy efficiency and included the farming community in a dialog on more sustainable agriculture practices. In addition, Dow supported Rio 2016’s Transforma educational platform to reach over 7 million students.

As the premier corporate partner of Transforma, Dow expanded the platform by adding nine science classes to the curriculum, covering concepts on sustainability, chemistry, physics, and biology through the lens of sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Transforma has been rolled out to all 27 Brazilian states since its implementation in 2013.

“Dow has been a corporate citizen of Latin America for 60 years – an anniversary celebrated as Brazil, our first country in this region, hosts its first Olympic Games. I can’t think of a better way to commemorate our legacy, and set the stage for the next 60 years of powerful collaborations and business growth,” said Fabian Gil, Dow Latin America president.

To learn more about Dow’s carbon mitigation program for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, please visit www.dow.com/carbonmitigation.

 

Dow Innovations are Key to Enabling Rio 2016 Olympic Games

The Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games celebrates 60 years in Brazil, providing solutions and technologies for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

RIO DE JANEIRO - August 05, 2016 - As the world convenes in Brazil for the excitement of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, The Dow Chemical Company(NYSE: Dow), the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Gamesand Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016, is proud to provide innovative, science-based solutions for one of the most respected and prestigious global events. Celebrating 60 years of presence in the region, Dow is involved in more than 20 projects connected to the Games, spanning from field-of-play technologies to venue construction, transportation, city infrastructure, and carbon mitigation.

 

“With our knowledge and broad portfolio of solutions, Dow is demonstrating how science can power the world of sports,” said Louis A. Vega, Dow global vice president of Olympic & Sports Solutions. “Our technologies are present in all key competition clusters for the Rio 2016 Games, as well as the city’s extended infrastructure. As the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games, we are able to address the needs of organizers, athletes, media and spectators in order to help make the Rio 2016 Games a success.”

With solutions incorporated throughout numerous Olympic venues, Dow is proud to mark 60 years of operation in Brazil and further expand its business in a highly strategic and important region.

Field-of-Play Technologies

• Rio 2016’s hockey competition at the Deodoro Park will be played on a high performance innovative synthetic turf systemwhich uses DOWLEX™ linear low density polyethylene resins in the yarns as well as Dow’s polyurethanes technologies for the backing of the carpet.
• The balls utilized on the Olympic hockey competition rely on a tailor made micro-foamed polyurethane (PU) core developed with Dow polyols. The PU core uniquely provides higher-performance and more consistency than hockey balls made with traditional vulcanised cork and rubber cores or solid polymer cores.
• Dow Plastic resins were utilized in the pipes from the draining and irrigation system underneath the natural grass pitch of Maracanã stadium, venue of the Opening and Closing ceremonies and key football matches. Additionally, Dow technologies were used in flooring applications and waterproofing systems for concrete and metal structures within the stadium.

 

Athletes’ Village

• Construction chemicals and paints formulated with coating technologies from Dow were used in buildings in the Athletes’ Village to provide beautiful, long-lasting protection and finishing.
• The 28 modular water tanks will help provide a reliable water supply system for athletes, coaches, officials and referees participating in the Games were manufactured with resins from Dow’s Propylene Glycol.
• More sustainable waterborne acrylic epoxy road markings were applied on bike lanes inside and around the Village in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca, as well as at the iconic Copacabana beach.
• Athletes from 200+ countries competing in Rio will sleep on comfortable, mattresses made with polyurethane technology from Dow.

 

Olympic Park

• Dow Wire and Cable technologies provide protection and durability to the energy and data cables installed at venues including the Olympic Tennis Centre, Olympic Aquatics Stadium and the Main Press Centre/International Broadcast Centre (MPC/IBC) complex, where media tell the stories of Rio 2016 to billions of fans.
• The IBC building also features Dow technologies in the Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) panels of the building façade. This innovative system enabled completion of the façade in 30 days, while standard technologies take up to six months to be installed.

 

Infrastructure solutions in and around Rio

• The roof at the city’s novel Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã) is protected with 100% acrylic resin to provide waterproofing and exterior durability to this iconic structure. In addition, the reflective roof helps keep the building up to five degrees cooler.
• Flooring solutions and polyurethane insulation panels from Dow were utilized in the major renovation that took place at Viracopos International Airport in Campinas, São Paulo, one of the main cargo transportation hubs for the Games.
• On the most important road connecting Rio to São Paulo, Rodovia Presidente Dutra, road marking solutions based on Dow’s FASTRACK™ coatings technologies provide reliable pavement markings.
• DLP™ and WALOCEL™ solutions for adhesive mortar were utilized in some of Rio's new hotels, as well as in the Olympic Park and Athletes' Village.

 

“From infrastructure solutions to an innovative carbon mitigation program, we are excited to showcase our technologies in Brazil and share our successes with our customers and partners on a global stage,” said Fabian Gil, president of Dow Latin America. “Rio 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of Dow Brazil and also inaugurates a new chapter of meaningful collaborations and business success for the Company across the region.”

 

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from material, polymer, chemical and biological science to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven, 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 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2015, Dow had annual sales of nearly $49 billion and employed approximately 49,500 people worldwide. The Company's more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 179 sites in 35 countries across the globe. On June 1, 2016, Dow became the 100 percent owner of Dow Corning Corporation’s silicones business, a global company with sales of greater than $4.5 billion in 2015, 25 manufacturing sites in 9 countries and approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. 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

Jamie Ellis

Dow Media Relations

989-636-3325

jel...@dow.com

Fernão Silveira

Dow Olympic & Sports Solutions

+55 11 950-339-814

fsilve...@dow.com