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Dow Celebrates 25 Years of Collaboration with Sustainability External Advisory Council

The Dow Chemical Company recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Sustainability External Advisory Council (SEAC) at a meeting in Chicago.

Published 6 years ago | About a 4 minute read

The Dow Chemical Company recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Sustainability External Advisory Council (SEAC) at a meeting in Chicago.

“Our SEAC provides an independent, outside-in perspective on critical issues related to sustainability and environmental policy that impact Dow and our global community,” said Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO of Dow. “The role of the council will remain just as critical in the future of Dow as it has over the last 25 years. Sustainability will become an even stronger force as the world’s resources continue to face unprecedented strain. We value the dialogue with the council and their insight on Dow’s opportunities to address global challenges to build sustainable and inclusive growth.”

Through the years, the SEAC has had a significant influence on Dow’s approach to sustainability and environment, health and safety issues. Most recently, the SEAC was closely involved in the creation of Dow’s 2025 Sustainability Goals. It also has advised Dow on issues as diverse as climate change, alternative feedstocks, ecosystem services, sustainable chemistry and waste plastics. Looking ahead, the SEAC will continue to help shape Dow’s sustainability initiatives and commitments, by providing insightful input on the 2025 Sustainability Goals, stakeholder engagement and key issues facing the business.

Neil Hawkins, Dow’s corporate vice president, EH&S, and chief sustainability officer, added: “This distinguished group of environmental thought leaders represent non-governmental organizations, academia and government and bring a diverse and global perspective to Dow on a wide variety of vital issues.”

The council was the first of its kind in the petrochemical industry when launched in 1992 by Frank Popoff, former Dow CEO and chairman, and David Buzzelli, former board member and executive vice president of Dow. In addition to Hawkins, who chairs the council, current SEAC members include:

Najah Ashry, vice president for Saudi Affairs at King Abdullah University in Saudi Arabia. She previously served as head of the female section at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and has taught internationally as visiting professor at a number of academic institutions.
Bernard Goldstein, professor of environmental and occupational health and dean emeritus in the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health. Previously, he served as assistant administrator for research and development at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Helio Mattar, president of the Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption and founded the Ethos Institute for Social Responsibility. He formerly served as president of GE-Dako, secretary of production development of Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade and was chief executive officer of Abrinq Foundation for the Rights of Children and Adolescents.
Stephen Polasky, the Fesler-Lampert Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics at the University of Minnesota. He previously served as a senior staff economist for environment and resources for the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.
Isabel Studer, executive director of the Mexico and North Central American Program of The Nature Conservancy. She founded and directed the Global Institute for Sustainability and was academic leader of Energy and Corporate Sustainability at EGADE Business School at Tec de Monterrey.
John Warner, president and chief technology officer of Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, and president of The Beyond Benign Foundation. Warner is the recipient of the 2014 Perkin Medal and a fellow of the American Chemical Society.
Anders Wijkman, co-president of Club of Rome and a councilor of the World Future Council. Wijkman is a former member of the European Parliament and a NGO leader.
Changhua Wu, China Director of TIR Consulting, is highly engaged with implementing China’s 13th Five-Year Plan toward the clean energy transition. Wu was previously Greater China Director of the Climate Group, Executive Director of China Operations of ENSR, and directed the Program for China Studies at the World Resources Institute.

For more information about the SEAC, visit Science & Sustainability on www.dow.com.