|
 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 utilizing 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 manufacturers 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 Center (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.“
Dow Corning Chairman, President and CEO, Stephanie Burns
(56 KB PDF), said the award recognized 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
recognizes 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 recognize 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.
Note to editors:
If you are interested in using a photo to accompany this story or require
further information, please direct inquiries to one of our media
representatives.
About Dow Corning
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the
diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in
silicon-based technology and innovation, offering more than 7,000 products and
services, Dow Corning is equally owned by
The Dow Chemical Company and Corning Incorporated. More
than half of Dow Corning’s sales are outside the United States.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients
to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and
Growth Team Membership™ empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that
generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost &
Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000
companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30
offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan’s
Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.
WE HELP YOU INVENT THE FUTURE™
|
Change
