MIDLAND, Mich. – September 15, 2020 – Following the success of their first joint award program, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Dow (NYSE: DOW), its Official Carbon Partner, have announced an extension of the Olympic Movement Carbon Initiative with a second phase of awards. Launched in 2019, this unique program has inspired climate action by recognizing the sustainability efforts of key sports organizations within the Olympic Movement. This year, the award is open to both the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) numbering over 200 around the globe and the 77 International Sports Federations (IFs).
This initiative between Dow and the IOC incentivizes IFs and NOCs to plan and implement tangible climate actions in their operations. To be recognized, IFs and NOCs must be a part of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, which was launched by the IOC and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2018, and are expected to present detailed data on their carbon reduction plans, requiring them to better understand and measure their annual carbon footprint.
According to Sergey Belyavskiy, technology & sustainability leader for Dow Olympic and Sports Solutions, "Through our carbon partnership program with the IOC, we've been able to push beyond business as usual to develop locally-relevant carbon mitigation projects all around the world. This specific initiative expands the scope beyond the IOC into a much broader sphere. Our collaboration is focused on catalyzing climate action through sport, demonstrating how sports organizations can be true climate leaders."
This year's extension of the initiative to NOCs will allow more members from a wider cross-section of the Olympic Movement to demonstrate and accelerate their efforts to address climate change, utilizing Dow and the IOC for critical carbon support and expertise. In doing so, Dow's Carbon Partnership with the IOC continues to advance climate action.
"Sport has a huge power to fuel global change and climate change is among today's crises that need this change most urgently," Julie Duffus, Olympic Movement Sustainability Senior Manager for the IOC, said. "Through our partnership, Dow has brought clear, robust and credible criteria to ensure that we make a meaningful impact. If we want to incite effective action to address climate change, we need more such effective partnerships."
In 2019, the carbon reduction measures undertaken by the rewarded IFs included initiatives that reduced waste in their operations and at events and the assessment and reduction of the footprint of materials, food and equipment across their entire life cycle.
The call for submissions for this year's award went out in June and recently closed first of September. Recipients will be announced in November at the annual IF Forum.
As part of the recognition, the IFs and NOCs will receive carbon offsets. The awarded offsets include a diverse set of climate solutions, from conserving ecosystems and avoiding deforestation to energy efficiency and renewable energy. The projects delivering these offsets were implemented across multiple continents including the Americas, Africa and Asia, and comply with standards approved by the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA).
Dow's Carbon Partnership with the IOC was initiated in September 2017 to balance the operational carbon footprint of the IOC and beyond. The partnership encourages organizations outside the Olympic Movement to adopt programs for reducing carbon emissions through a series of impactful carbon mitigation projects. Dow is also a Worldwide Olympic Partner and the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Movement.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
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