A solution isn’t a solution if it isn’t sustainable. We are connecting and collaborating to find new options for materials that make life better for everyone.
Science & Sustainability
Let’s make change happen
2025 Sustainability Goals - A Decade of Progress
Dow has a long history of advancing sustainability initiatives. It’s not just something we do – it’s a business imperative and central to our long-term success. We made tremendous progress toward our decade-long 2025 Sustainability Goals, achieving six of the seven goals ahead of schedule.
With the conclusion of our third decade of 10-year sustainability goals in 2025, Team Dow continues to make a meaningful impact on the environment, our customers and society, while also growing our business.
See the results of our ambition in action
Leading the blueprint
Dow will develop societal blueprints that integrate public policy solutions, science and technology, and value chain innovation to facilitate the transition to a sustainable planet and society.
Key Achievements
- 2018 – Released societal blueprints, including unlocking carbon reductions and sustainable water management
- 2020 – Expanded blueprint collaboration tools with Keystone Policy Center
- 2022 – Goal achieved; supported by blueprint pipeline
Advancing a circular economy
Through innovation and collaboration, Dow will help facilitate the world’s transition to a circular economy, where waste is designed into new services and products.
Key Achievements
- 2018-2021 – Launched commercial grades of mass balanced bio-based polyethylene, mechanically recycled polyethylene and molecularly recycled polyurethane
- 2015-2025 – Built partnerships across circular technologies, products and production, enabling advanced recycled polyethylene solutions and expanding circular applications
- 2023 – Goal achieved; continued circular progress, including the 2024 acquisition of mechanical recycler Circulus
Delivering breakthrough innovations
Dow delivers breakthrough sustainable chemistry innovations that advance the well-being of humanity and have a net-positive impact.
Key Achievements
- 2015 – Set commitment to deliver breakthrough sustainable chemistry innovations that advance the well-being of humanity
- 2022 – Goal achieved; significantly increased the net positive impact of our product portfolio and integrated portfolio assessments and business-specific sustainability goals across Dow
- 2024 – >90% of R&D portfolio aligned with sustainability outcomes, exceeding our goal of >85%
Valuing nature
Dow applies business decision processes to complete projects that increase business value and are better for ecosystems.
Key Achievements
- 2015 – Launched major commitment to systematically consider nature in business decisions
- 2021 – Achieved capital project screening target to screen 100% of capital projects for impact to water, air, soil and land use
- 2023 – Goal achieved; delivering $1.2 billion in net present value from business-driven projects that enhance nature and setting the foundation for our next journey with the Water & Nature strategy
Safe materials for a sustainable planet
Dow will innovate sustainable materials of tomorrow, lead candid conversations about product safety and commit to the advancement of open and transparent chemistry.
Key Achievements
- 2017 – Launched Product Stewardship Academy, supporting safer-materials capability building
- 2022 – Launched Product Safety Blueprint, ensuring materials are compliant with regulations and safe to use in their intended applications
- 2025 – Introduced our tenth sustainable alternative, RHOBARR™ 325 Dispersion, in alignment with our Safer Materials strategy
- 2025 – Goal achieved; innovating sustainable materials of tomorrow and leading candid, open and transparent conversations
Engaging for impact: communities, employees, customers
Dow employees will apply their passion and expertise to advance the wellbeing of people and the planet.
Key Achievements
- 2017 – Established engagement infrastructure, launching Dow’s Volunteer Portal
- 2021 – Launched Global Volunteer and ERG Participation Policy, granting 12 hours of paid time off for volunteering and ERG activities
- 2023-2025 – Goal achieved; maintained >70% employee volunteer participation; continued reinforcement of engagement as a culture and impact driver
World-leading operations performance
Dow maintains world-leading operations performance in natural resource efficiency, environment, health and safety.
Key Achievements
- 2022 – Surpassed our target of a 20% reduction in waste intensity and exceeded our target to obtain 750 MW of power demand from renewables – achieving both three years ahead of schedule
- 2024 – Achieved zero Level 1 (severe) transportation incidents; surpassed our target of a 40% reduction in high priority health risks and improved the Transportation Stewardship Index by 50% – all accomplished one year ahead of schedule
- 2025 – Achieved a 79% reduction in Level 1/ Level 2 Process Safety & Containment Events over the ten-year goal cycle
1 Dow made strong progress toward its 2025 World-Leading Operations Performance Goal metrics in key areas. While the freshwater intake intensity target was not fully achieved, the initiative delivered the foundation for Dow’s Water & Nature Strategy through a decade of efficiency, reuse and risk reduction actions across key water-stressed sites. The Raw Material Efficiency utilization index finished slightly below the 2025 target, reflecting the overall operating environment during the year.