Energy Efficiency and Sustainability – What is Dow Doing on the Green Scene?

From simple everyday efforts, to major investments in new technology, working toward a cleaner, greener planet is one of Dow’s top priorities.

• Insulating and air-sealing products from Dow can save up to 20 percent on a building owner’s heating and cooling costs.
  
  
• Installed in over 20 million buildings worldwide, STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation insulates over 20 billion ft², saving over US $10 billion in energy costs annually.
  
  
• The total 20 year North American production capacity of Dow insulation products (STYROFOAM™, THERMAX™, GREAT STUFF™ ) when properly installed in buildings could save over 10 trillion pounds of a carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent** during their useful lifetime. This represents a CO2 impact equal to:
  • Planting 5 billion trees
  • Removing 850 million cars from the road for one year.
• For every million buildings insulated with STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation, energy consumption is reduced by over one billion barrels of oil during the average life of the structures.
  
  
• Dow has donated insulation for Habitat for Humanity homes for over 25 years. Employees continue to volunteer at Habitat builds worldwide. Sustainable homeownership demands a home be well insulated from the second highest family payment after the mortgage itself – the utility bill.
  
  
• Virtually 100 percent of the scrap extruded polystyrene generated at Dow plants is recycled into Dow products. In addition, STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation can be reused over and over again.
  
  
• In Hangzhou, China, a seven-building housing complex is insulated with STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation. The project, “Prosperous Qiantang, Hangzhou,” serves as the China Ministry of Construction’s model for energy efficiency in residential buildings.
  
  
• Dow will invest over $50 million to enable the use of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing and other building materials that show great promise in powering homes and other buildings efficiently.
  
  
• Dow is enabling the generation of 2,400 megawatts of renewable energy through the use of STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation in windmill blades. Dow epoxy is also a critical component of most wind turbines operating today.
  
  
• Energy-efficient, durable and reusable STYROFOAM™ Brand Insulation products are featured on the walls, floor and roof of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies at Oberlin College in Ohio, where real-time feedback on ecological performance is monitored as part of ongoing studies about the relationship between humankind and their environment.
  
  
• Dow’s commitment to the planet extends to its employees. For example, in 1986 the company launched the Waste Reduction Always Pays (WRAP) Award program, which continues today. Through reduction, reuse and recycling efforts, employees have reduced more than 230,000 tons of waste, 13 million tons of wastewater and 8 trillion Btu of energy.
  
  
• Dow is an active participant in and anchor sponsor of The 21st Century Energy Center in Beijing, a working model where hands-on educational training demonstrates how building energy efficiency can be practiced in China.
  
  
• Since February 2007, municipal household wastewater in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, has been flowing via a special pipeline to Dow’s production facility there, where it is reused. Dow accepts 2.6 million gallons of water every 24 hours and purifies more than 70 percent of it to generate steam and feed its manufacturing plants.

Have we stimulated some questions? Dow has answers.