Dow Hopes Rio Carbon Offset Program Will "Long Outlive" Olympics

(ATR) TOP SponsorDow tells Around the Rings itwill offset 500,000 tons of carbon from the Rio Olympics.

In an exclusive interview with ATR, Dow said as part of its Abraca Sustainability ("Embrace Sustainability") program. The target is four main industries where energy can be saved to achieve the offset--agriculture, construction, food packaging and industrial processes.

The program is part of the U.S.-based company's "Carbon Partnership" with Rio 2016. The partnership, announced on Monday, is Dow's most ambitious Olympic project to date.

In one of his first interviews since being announced as Dow's Chief Sustainability Officer, Neil Hawkins toldATR"we want the projects to be scalable and long outlive the Olympics."

"The contribution of Brazil to global climate change is very unique.

"The Olympic program will be a catalyst to hopefully changing the Brazilian economy in certain areas that lead to a real carbon impact," Hakwins added.

This is Dow's second carbon partnership. The TOP Sponsor worked with Sochi 2014 to make the Games carbon neutral.

Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, global sustainability director for Dow Olympic Operations,toldATRthat Dow and Rio 2016 will implement technologies tailor-made for the needs of Brazil.

"We are taking stock of our experience in Russia, but we are going with a broad, technological approach that is very relevant to Brazil."

She added that Dow will work with customers in different industry sectors to implement its energy-saving strategies.

Julio Natalense, sustainability manager for Rio 2016, Dow Olympic Operations, described the strategy pertaining to agriculture in Brazil. "About 62 percent of emissions in Brazil come from agriculture.Technologies to increase productivity, to make livestock more productive, will in fact allow us to use less land, to have the same production."

Hawkins said only long after the Games would Dow know if the program is a success.

"We have to become better storytellers, so that five years from now people are still doing these sustainable agriculture practices.

"These need to be free-standing, economically viable projects," Hawkins explained. "If that's true, and if it really works for customers, then they're going to do it later whether or not there's an Olympics."

Written byNicole Bennett

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