Frost & Sullivan applauds Dow Corning for corporate leadership in sustainability
Dow Corning has been awarded the 2008 Global Specialty Chemicals Corporate Leadership Green Excellence Award for its demonstrated commitment to the use of renewable and sustainable energy resources in the global specialty chemicals market. In making the award, Frost & Sullivan commended Dow Corning for its ability to implement a strategy focusing on green energies and sustainable development, while at the same time, significantly reducing its energy and power demands by utilising the same products and technologies that it offers customers.
'Dow Corning is more than a manufacturer supplying products to the global green energy industries. It is a company that 'leads by example' and shows the rest of the industry how manufac turers can use their technical expertise and products in achieving measurable environmental targets and improving their environmental performance across their business,' notes Frost & Sullivan' Industry Analyst Dr. Leonidas Dokos. 'Dow Corning's sustainable development approach is coupled with the value of corporate responsibility which are founded on the company's vision and connected through to business unit goals.'
Other achievements and initiatives singled out by Frost & Sullivan' included:
Energy Efficiency: A significant improvement in energy efficiency in Dow Corning's production sites has been achieved through initiatives such as the introduction of plasma gasification technology at its Michigan, USA, facility. Expertise in photovoltaic products and applications has enabled the company to use solar panels as a power source at one of its largest manufacturing sites located in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Solar Power: Dow Corning's commitment to solar solutions is in direct alignment with its business strategy. The company owns a majority stake in Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, which manufactures 30.0 per cent of the world's total supply of polycrystalline silicon. Research at the newly inaugurated Dow Corning Solar Solutions Application Centre (SSAC) in Michigan, USA aims at reducing the cost per watt produced of solar energy to make solar technology a viable, sustainable energy option, globally.
In 2006, Dow Corning introduced PV 1101 SoG Silicon, which was the first commercially available metallurgical feedstock produced using large-scale manufacturing processes. This represents, in the most concrete way, the commitment by Dow Corning to research and develop innovative products that will promote the uptake of solar energy.
'Dow Corning has demonstrated corporate leadership in green excellence by committing to solar solutions, innovating new products that cater to the photovoltaic industry and leading by example through the implementation of photovoltaic systems that support the company in its energy demands with renewable resources,' states Dr. Dokos. 'This has resulted in a significant reduction of the conventional energy demands of Dow Corning and hence its carbon emissions.'
Environmental impact In the United States, Dow Corning has invested more than $35 million in a new technology at its manufacturing site located in Michigan, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20.0 per cent. In addition, a new manufacturing process at the company's site in Kentucky has led to the reduction of carbon emissions by more than 1,200 tonnes. In Europe, Dow Corning will use barges instead of road tankers to transport certain products from the company's site in Wales to its site in Belgium.
'The resulting reduction in carbon emissions supports the target set by Dow Corning in 2004 to reduce global carbon emissions by 20.0 per cent by 2009,'comments Dr. Dokos. 'By the end of 2008, the company will also set its new targets for further reducing its carbon emissions over the next 5 years.'
Stephanie Burns, Dow Corning Chairman, President and CEO, said the award recognised the tremendous achievements of employees in the company's journey towards sustainability. 'It's a journey we are fully committed to pursuing. We view sustainability as essential to our future success as a company, helping us meet the needs of our customers; our employees and our local communities. It's why we've made it part of our vision and our corporate values.'
The Frost & Sullivan Green Excellence Award in Corporate Leadership is presented to the company that has demonstrated significant progress in enhancing the long-term sustainability and managing the environmental impact of its operations, which results in measurable improvement in the company's overall environmental performance within its industry sector. This Award signifies the company's keen awareness to the value of corporate social responsibility in today's increasingly 'green'focused business environment, and the importance of being a good corporate citizen. Moreover, this award also recognises that the company has successfully fostered sustainable practices across all global centers that it operates from, while maintaining its financial strength.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.
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