Feb. 11, 2026 | Case Study | 5 minute read
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Delivering shared value through social impact
Social impact and business growth are interconnected.
Discovering the right solution starts with asking the right questions. That is true whether working with customers to develop a new innovative product, with community partners to help address pressing needs, or with employees to empower them to accelerate change. Sometimes it’s all three.
Dow Business Impact Fund
Launched in 2016, Dow’s Business Impact Fund is a competitive accelerator grant program that brings together NGOs, nonprofit organizations, customers, and employees to help solve social or sustainability challenges within Dow communities around the world. Aligned to Dow’s ambition — to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world — this program provides employees the opportunity to explore new ways to expand markets and create shared value for Dow, our customers and our communities.
Over the last decade, the Business Impact Fund has supported 65 projects in 23 countries, helping to achieve the following outcomes:
- >3,600 community jobs created
- >17,750 MT (metric tons) materials recycled
- >379,000 people have improved their health and wellbeing
- $125,382 saved in landfill costs
2025 Business Impact Fund projects
In 2025, Dow launched six new projects across our global footprint that have the potential to generate significant social impact and deliver tangible business impact for Dow and our customers.
GoodFlex | United States
In collaboration with Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona, GoodFlex will pilot a scalable recycling solution for post-consumer plastic film, leveraging Goodwill’s retail network and materials recovered from existing donation streams to collect, sort, and process plastic bags for recycling into various Dow applications.
Through this project, Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business aims to divert plastic film waste from landfills, create jobs, and provide a model for expanding film recycling nationwide that can potentially become feedstock for various applications.
Paint to Connect: Color to Inspire | Spain and Portugal
In collaboration with Fundació Hàbitat3, paint company ISAVAL, and distributor Brenntag, this project intends to help address the affordable housing crisis in Spain and Portugal by revitalizing 50-60 homes for vulnerable families in major cities.
Utilizing innovative, sustainable acrylic paints, Dow’s Coatings and Performance Monomers business hopes to deliver both social and business impact by restoring homes and preventing structural damage, while also providing workforce development through training workshops.
Responsible Sourcing of Recycled Materials: Just & Inclusive Transition | Brazil
Led with the support of The Circulate Initiative and the Inclusive Waste Recycling Consortium (iWrc), through this project, Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business aims to improve income, health, and safety for informal waste sector workers, by implementing responsible sourcing best practices in selected value chains in Brazil’s recycling sector.
Utilizing the Harmonized Framework for Responsible Sourcing of Recycled Materials to support implementation, the project aims to strengthen local supply chains, promote human rights, advance compliance by small businesses, and build a more transparent and equitable recycling value chain.
Reuse Campaign: Accelerating Circularity | Brazil
With matching funds from Whirlpool Corporation Brazil, owner of the Brastemp, Consul and KitchenAid brands, and support from Instituto Akatu, Dow’s Polyurethanes business will work to expand refrigerator collection and recycling across Brazil, integrating education, community engagement, and incentives to consumers to promote proper disposal and foster material recovery.
By improving reverse logistics, supporting educational programs, and raising awareness, the initiative aims to avoid inadequate disposal and pollution, support Brazil’s recycling goals, and advance circularity in the home appliance sector.
Material Recovery Facility | Vietnam
In collaboration with community partner, ENDA Vietnam, and a local environmental company, Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics and Consumer Solutions businesses are working to support the development of a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Ho Chi Minh City.
The project intends to improve waste segregation and recycling rates by integrating informal waste collectors with the goal to reduce landfill waste, promote circularity, and generate economic opportunities for the community.
Women for Circularity: Just Transition of the Waste Collection System in Kerala | India
Alongside Green Worms Waste Management and CFBT Education Services, Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business will work to empower women waste collectors in Kerala, India, by providing training, resources, and safer working conditions as the region transitions to a more formalized waste management system.
Through inclusive practices, the initiative seeks to enhance livelihoods, promote gender equity, and strengthen circular economy models.
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Advancing social innovation and sustainability through global partnerships
The collaboration between Dow’s Global Citizenship efforts and our businesses, and the unique concepts crafted each year, are a testament to the passion and expertise of Team Dow to leverage their networks and skills to make a difference.
“Social impact and business growth are interconnected. Through the Business Impact Fund, we’re able to utilize our global scale, technical expertise and resources alongside diverse partners to deliver innovative solutions that address issues like food waste, affordable housing, and circularity.
Together over the last decade, we’ve made progress toward a more sustainable future and I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish in the next ten years.”
— Bob Plishka, Dow’s global director of Strategic Corporate Partnerships and Dow Company Foundation president
Driving business growth through social impact
By understanding how solving a social challenge can drive business results, companies have clear incentives to invest resources to innovate more deeply and scale socially oriented business opportunities.
This work helps position Dow as a leader in sustainability, increase brand awareness, strengthen partnerships with regulating agencies, develop customer intimacy, and create new or expanded markets. It also activates our employees to positively impact their communities. We’re honored to have the opportunity to make a difference across the world by engaging in the Dow Business Impact Fund.
About the article
This case study was developed by a cross-discipline team representing geographic and corporate citizenship expertise across Dow. To learn more about how Dow is accelerating positive social change and creating a sustainable future, visit the Company’s Purpose in Action pages.