Dow meets sustainability challenges in the Philippines

Forty employees from The Dow Chemical Company, representing 25 sites in 16 different countries departed for Cebu, Philippines on September 3 to join NGOs, social entrepreneurs, universities and government agencies to address pressing local challenges. The Dow employees are focusing their efforts on six distinct projects that seek to advance access to clean water, increase production of high-quality food crops and support product commercialization, among other challenges.

“Bringing together Dow’s incredibly diverse talent and expertise with dedicated NGO, government and academic partners creates the perfect formula for addressing critical societal needs,” said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. “This type of collaboration demonstrates Dow’s commitment to redefine the role of business in society. It is the Human Element at its very best.”

Employees will spend one week in Cebu, a fitting culmination to efforts that began in April with the six teams collaborating on the local solutions that include: increasing access to sufficient and affordable safe water on the Buhisan Watershed, for personal consumption and ornamental plant production, which is the basis of their livelihood; establishing business solutions for branding, marketing, and packaging of pork and milk products to make them competitive within the mainstream market, without compromising affordability for the current urban poor partners; developing global linkages and networks with foreign universities and organizations to improve the professional employability of graduates of the agricultural programs, as well as develop partnerships with various industries for collaborative research and product development; promoting the production and commercialization of dried food products that are accepted by local and export market consumers through the development of a solar and boiler hybrid dryer; educating farmers on techniques to increase the production of high-quality crops, reduce post-harvest loss and support their financial literacy; and developing recommendations for funding sources and methodologies to assess the water quality and volume of Tinago Creek as a pilot for subsequent river rehabilitations throughout the city of Cebu.

These projects are part of Dow’s commitment to Global Citizenship, its Leadership in Action (LIA) program and the Company’s 2025 Sustainability Goals, specifically Dow’s pledge to cross-sector collaboration in order to advance a sustainable planet and society.

Dow’s work in the Philippines supports its strategy in the Asia Pacific region, where the company is growing its presence and impact. Beyond the tangible business benefits, however, are the intangibles gained by the employees who participate, including: leadership development, changed perspectives and new insights into how people, products and skills can impact our world. While striving with others to deliver social benefit and business value, the Dow leaders become visionaries for new business opportunities and improved global citizenship.

Since its inception in 2013, 159 employees have participated in LIA, working with 29 NGOs to benefit communities near Accra, Ghana, Addis Adaba, Ethiopia and Surabaya, Indonesia. Follow this year’s journey on the web or via Twitter at @DowCorps and #DowLeads.