Tag: 3BL

The “Delivering for Good” initiative by FedEx goes beyond shipping packages—it’s a commitment to making a positive impact in the communities we serve. By lending our global network and logistics expertise, we assist organizations with precious cargo requests, like delivering a plant fossil collection that offers an effective way to study and combat the ongoing issue of climate change.  

In New Haven, the Yale Peabody Museum temporarily housed thousands of specimens of plant fossils that were collected in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana in the 1960s-80s by then Smithsonian curator Leo Hickey. They were subsequently loaned to the Yale Peabody Museum when he became its director in 1982.

These plant fossils, mostly leaves, document changes in vegetation and climate during the period from 50 – 66 million years ago, when the Earth’s climate was much warmer than it is today. They include extinct relatives of sycamores, dawn redwoods, dogwoods, birches and palms, among many others. Many of the fossils are also aesthetically beautiful, and small selections are on display at both the Yale Peabody and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’s “Deep Time” exhibit, which opened in 2019.

Why should we care about ancient leaves? Because they reveal Earth’s climate history, according to the National Museum of Natural History. Scientists study them to understand temperature fluctuations, ecosystem changes, and abrupt warming events. These fossils provide unique insights into our planet’s history, allowing us to apply the lessons of the past to help ensure a brighter future.

The collection from the Yale Peabody Museum was returned home to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.  where it is now part of the world’s largest plant fossil archive. There, the fossils will be preserved so that scientists may use them to help reconstruct lost ecosystems and better understand our changing planet, all made possible with a little help from FedEx.

***Photos courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

DES MOINES, Iowa /3BL/ – Principal Financial Group® is collaborating with the New York International Children’s Film Festival (the Festival) to bring a curated collection of award-winning, family-friendly short films to the Des Moines Art Center on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

Principal® will screen the Festival’s annual Spanish-language program, ¡Hola Cine!, featuring the best Latinx short films from around the world, transporting audiences across the Americas, reminding them of the power of family, perseverance, and believing in magic. Films will be shown in the Des Moines Art Center’s Levitt Auditorium at 1 p.m.

Principal Community Relations and the Principal Hispanic Employee Resource Group are hosting ¡Hola Cine! to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Principal funds organizations and programming to connect employees to the community and to educate and support people so they are empowered to live more financially secure lives.

¡Hola Cine! features six shorts with a runtime of 55 minutes. All shorts are in English or with English subtitles. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Shorts include:

“THE DANCE”  
Colombia, Live Action, Pedro Pablo Vega Reyes, 2021, 15 min  
Andrés has a big, big toe problem: his right shoe has a huge hole in it. Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue, but the school dance is tomorrow, and he’s got his crush Mariana to impress!

“EL MOÑO”  
United States, Live Action, Luis Fernando Puente & Lizde Arias, 2022, 8 min  
After her favorite sock goes missing, Andrea learns some family magic that helps her find lost objects in the most unexpected ways. She’ll soon discover that toys and coins aren’t the only things that can get lost.

“LA CALESITA”  
Argentina, Animation, Augusto Schillaci, 2022, 10 min  
A beloved Argentinian merry-go-round operation brings joy to the neighborhood families in this warm and vivid story of what comes around, goes around.

“THE LUGGAGE ROOM”  
Spain, Animation, Daniela Cuenca, 2021, 7 min  
A devoted abuelita dreams of the day she can reunite with her grandchildren, cramming her suitcase with mountains of gifts and heaps of precious memories.

“FONOS”  
Mexico, Animation, Gabriela Badillo, 2021, 9 min  
Chloe has bottled up her feelings along with the sounds that remind her of her beloved grandfather until a songbird shows her the way to maintain the spirit of his beautiful music.

“WITH A WOOL BALL”  
Argentina, Animation, Belén Ricardes, 2022, 5 min  
A ball of wool, a catchy song, and beautiful felted stop motion tell this boldly colored tale of a girl who weaves ponchos and steeps hot maté to keep her friends toasty in the hills of Argentina.

The New York International Children’s Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying film festival offering the largest and most prestigious festival for children’s film in North America. Each year, the Festival presents a slate of films, both shorts and feature length, that is as diverse in representation as it is in visual style, storytelling, and subject matter. To date, 38 Festival films have received Academy Awards® or nominations.

About Principal Financial Group®    

Principal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG) is a global financial company with 20,000 employees1 passionate about improving the wealth and well-being of people and businesses. In business for 145 years, we’re helping more than 64 million customers1 plan, protect, invest, and retire, while working to support the communities where we do business, and build a diverse, inclusive workforce. Principal® is proud to be recognized as one of the 2024 World’s Most Ethical Companies2, a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and named as a “Best Places to Work in Money Management3.” Learn more about Principal and our commitment to sustainability, inclusion, and purpose at principal.com.  

Principal community relations supports the communities where affiliates of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392 operates. Insurance products and plan administrative services provided through Principal Life Insurance Company®, a member of the Principal Financial Group, Des Moines, IA 50392.

3835947-092024

1 As of June 30, 2024  
2 Ethisphere, 2024  
3 Pensions & Investments, 2023

Originally published on Built From Scratch

In 2005, U.S. Army Sergeant Anesi “Maverick” Tu’ufuli was severely wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom after he stepped on a remote-detonated IED. After returning home, Tu’ufuli left the military and transitioned to civilian life with his wife and two young daughters. In 2018, his wife passed away from cancer, leaving him to care for their two daughters as a single father.

Due to his injuries, Tu’ufuli currently spends around 50% of his day in a wheelchair. His former home was not wheelchair accessible, making it difficult for him to maneuver safely, independently and comfortably. Recently, The Home Depot Foundation partnered with Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors to provide Sgt. Tu’ufuli with a brand new, specially adapted home where he can feel safer and more secure.

The Foundation also worked with The Home Depot Home to fully furnish and decorate the house with items selected for his individual needs. A dedicated interior designer connected with Sgt. Tu’ufuli to assess his style and select items for the space. The new furniture and fixtures make maneuvering in a wheelchair more seamless.

Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot, as tens of thousands of the company’s associates are veterans or military spouses. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested $500 million in veteran causes and helped renovate and enhance more than 60,000 veteran homes and facilities, ensuring more of our nation’s heroes have a safe, comfortable place to call home that fits their individual needs.

To learn more, visit HomeDepotFoundation.org.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

In 2005, U.S. Army Sergeant Anesi “Maverick” Tu’ufuli was severely wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom after he stepped on a remote-detonated IED. After returning home, Tu’ufuli left the military and transitioned to civilian life with his wife and two young daughters. In 2018, his wife passed away from cancer, leaving him to care for their two daughters as a single father.

Due to his injuries, Tu’ufuli currently spends around 50% of his day in a wheelchair. His former home was not wheelchair accessible, making it difficult for him to maneuver safely, independently and comfortably. Recently, The Home Depot Foundation partnered with Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors to provide Sgt. Tu’ufuli with a brand new, specially adapted home where he can feel safer and more secure.

The Foundation also worked with The Home Depot Home to fully furnish and decorate the house with items selected for his individual needs. A dedicated interior designer connected with Sgt. Tu’ufuli to assess his style and select items for the space. The new furniture and fixtures make maneuvering in a wheelchair more seamless.

Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot, as tens of thousands of the company’s associates are veterans or military spouses. Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested $500 million in veteran causes and helped renovate and enhance more than 60,000 veteran homes and facilities, ensuring more of our nation’s heroes have a safe, comfortable place to call home that fits their individual needs.

To learn more, visit HomeDepotFoundation.org.

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

NEW YORK, LONDON, September 9, 2024 /3BL/ – AccountAbility CEO, Mr. Sunil (Sunny) Misser, advocates for proactive, future-focused board leadership in his article Building Better Boards, which appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Capital Finance International, a premier global journal reporting on business, economics, and finance. 

Co-authored with Mr. Vincent A. Forlenza, Chairman of Moody’s Corporation and former CEO of Becton, Dickinson and Company, and Dr. Shiva Rajgopal, Professor at Columbia University Business School, the article delves into the critical role of effective board governance in the face of modern challenges, offering innovative frameworks and strategies for leaders focused on long-term value creation. 

“Boards must do more than set the ‘tone at the top’; they need to provide robust oversight and strategic support that drives long-term success,” Misser said. “As the mandate of the board shifts, directors must ensure that they demonstrate competencies that fit not just the present but also future needs. The fundamental question at large is: How do we build an effective board that is fit to confront the challenges of the 21st century?” 

The article presents six actionable insights designed to empower organizations in assessing and improving their board composition, focus, and impact:

Understand Industry DynamicsChallenge Company StrategyBuild Geopolitical ResilienceThink TechnologyRethink Roles and CompositionDevelop an Authentic Purpose

Each of these insights focuses on value-generating recommendations that deliver on stakeholder expectations and address challenges of the future. 

Though board governance is often a less-discussed area of vulnerability for organizations — in part because it involves internal processes, systems, and controls that often are less visible to the broader public — the article highlights the immense potential of rethinking and redesigning effective board governance.

With over 40 years of global executive experience, Vincent A. Forlenza Jr. champions for boards to adopt a more proactive stance in shaping the future and building internal alignment. 

“Management and directors globally are under pressure to deliver short-term financial results while also focusing on long-term value creation,” Forlenza said. “As the role of the Board evolves, it’s crucial for them to demonstrate competencies that address both current and future needs. 

“To enhance strategic decision-making, Boards should engage with management early in the strategic process, before strategies are fully developed, and encourage the presentation of multiple strategic options,” Forlenza continued. “Done correctly, this process aligns the entire company and enables greater efficiency.” 

An international expert in corporate finance and governance, Dr. Shiva Rajgopal, the Kester and Byrnes professor at the Columbia Business School, encourages boards to find ways of challenging ideas through open dialogue. 

“To effectively advance company strategy, it is essential for boards to foster a culture of constructive challenge,” Rajgopal said. “By institutionalizing healthy debate, companies can better leverage the board’s expertise to broaden perspectives, which can lead to more robust decision-making and more sound strategy.” 

Capital Finance International’s full Summer 2024 issue is available online.

###

About AccountAbility 

AccountAbility is a specialist global Consulting and Standards firm that works with businesses, investors, governments, and multilateral organizations to innovate and advance the global Sustainability/ ESG agenda by improving the practices, performance, and impact of organizations. The firm focuses on delivering practical, effective, and enduring results that enable our clients to succeed.

AccountAbility is a Public Benefit Corporation, operating globally through a highly qualified team from offices in New York, London, Riyadh, and Dubai. The firm is the recipient of multiple business awards from the Financial Times, Forbes, and Capital Finance International, and its website is archived with the United States Library of Congress. 

Learn more at www.accountability.org | Follow AccountAbility on LinkedIn and YouTube

Media contact 

Mr. Julian Cardillo 
Marketing and Communications Manager 
New York, NY 
julian.cardillo@accountability.org

CFI Media Pack

NEW YORK, LONDON, September 9, 2024 /3BL/ – AccountAbility CEO, Mr. Sunil (Sunny) Misser, advocates for proactive, future-focused board leadership in his article Building Better Boards, which appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Capital Finance International, a premier global journal reporting on business, economics, and finance. 

Co-authored with Mr. Vincent A. Forlenza, Chairman of Moody’s Corporation and former CEO of Becton, Dickinson and Company, and Dr. Shiva Rajgopal, Professor at Columbia University Business School, the article delves into the critical role of effective board governance in the face of modern challenges, offering innovative frameworks and strategies for leaders focused on long-term value creation. 

“Boards must do more than set the ‘tone at the top’; they need to provide robust oversight and strategic support that drives long-term success,” Misser said. “As the mandate of the board shifts, directors must ensure that they demonstrate competencies that fit not just the present but also future needs. The fundamental question at large is: How do we build an effective board that is fit to confront the challenges of the 21st century?” 

The article presents six actionable insights designed to empower organizations in assessing and improving their board composition, focus, and impact:

Understand Industry DynamicsChallenge Company StrategyBuild Geopolitical ResilienceThink TechnologyRethink Roles and CompositionDevelop an Authentic Purpose

Each of these insights focuses on value-generating recommendations that deliver on stakeholder expectations and address challenges of the future. 

Though board governance is often a less-discussed area of vulnerability for organizations — in part because it involves internal processes, systems, and controls that often are less visible to the broader public — the article highlights the immense potential of rethinking and redesigning effective board governance.

With over 40 years of global executive experience, Vincent A. Forlenza Jr. champions for boards to adopt a more proactive stance in shaping the future and building internal alignment. 

“Management and directors globally are under pressure to deliver short-term financial results while also focusing on long-term value creation,” Forlenza said. “As the role of the Board evolves, it’s crucial for them to demonstrate competencies that address both current and future needs. 

“To enhance strategic decision-making, Boards should engage with management early in the strategic process, before strategies are fully developed, and encourage the presentation of multiple strategic options,” Forlenza continued. “Done correctly, this process aligns the entire company and enables greater efficiency.” 

An international expert in corporate finance and governance, Dr. Shiva Rajgopal, the Kester and Byrnes professor at the Columbia Business School, encourages boards to find ways of challenging ideas through open dialogue. 

“To effectively advance company strategy, it is essential for boards to foster a culture of constructive challenge,” Rajgopal said. “By institutionalizing healthy debate, companies can better leverage the board’s expertise to broaden perspectives, which can lead to more robust decision-making and more sound strategy.” 

Capital Finance International’s full Summer 2024 issue is available online.

###

About AccountAbility 

AccountAbility is a specialist global Consulting and Standards firm that works with businesses, investors, governments, and multilateral organizations to innovate and advance the global Sustainability/ ESG agenda by improving the practices, performance, and impact of organizations. The firm focuses on delivering practical, effective, and enduring results that enable our clients to succeed.

AccountAbility is a Public Benefit Corporation, operating globally through a highly qualified team from offices in New York, London, Riyadh, and Dubai. The firm is the recipient of multiple business awards from the Financial Times, Forbes, and Capital Finance International, and its website is archived with the United States Library of Congress. 

Learn more at www.accountability.org | Follow AccountAbility on LinkedIn and YouTube

Media contact 

Mr. Julian Cardillo 
Marketing and Communications Manager 
New York, NY 
julian.cardillo@accountability.org

CFI Media Pack

The wooden skiff drops in the water to great cheers from the crowd.

The students—the vessel’s builders and now navigators—will crew the 14-foot craft on her maiden voyage through the Les Cheneaux Islands in Lake Huron, and back to the dock of the Great Lakes Boat Building School (GLBBS).

Launch day is one of the most anticipated moments in a boat builder’s education. In groups of three or four, GLBBS students have been fabricating their small crafts by hand for a year.

At the Cedarville school, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, they’ve learned to steam and bend wood; they’ve been trained on complex boat-building equipment; and they’ve learned boatyard etiquette. On launch day, they show they are ready to enter the industry as specialized craftspeople.

“There’s a sense of pride in accomplishing something like that over a year—taking a boat from the drawing of plans to dropping it in the water and testing it out,” says Thomas Coates, GLBBS’s director of development.

“The process prepares them for the real world, which is really what our mission is: preparing students for rewarding careers in the marine industry.”

GLBBS is in a kind of “wood-boat mecca,” according to Coates. The first Chris-Craft dealer in the world was established in a village about three miles west of the school in 1925.

“Some of those boats that were built in the late ’20s and early ’30s are still plying the waters up here,” he adds.

Locals wanted to keep the tradition of wooden boat building, restoration and maintenance alive in the region, so they pooled resources to establish GLBBS in 2006.

The school keeps pace with needs of the industry—resulting in the introduction of a Marine Service Technology Program, with the first cohort of students graduating in 2020. These students are trained on electrical and propulsion systems on boats, and basically anything operational within vessels.

“Our students are in demand,” Coates explains, noting the school accepts a maximum of 30 students per year. “Over the past seven years, we’ve had nearly a 100% placement rate. They find jobs mostly in the Great Lakes, but all over the U.S. and even as far as Australia.”

One of the school’s challenges is keeping up to date with expensive equipment. For students to be competitive and well trained, they need to work on “the latest, greatest equipment and get that hands-on experience that is so valued in the industry,” Coates notes.

Enbridge responded to the school’s need for equipment by providing a $15,000 Fueling Futures grant to help purchase a 150-horsepower engine. The gift supported GLBBS’s campaign to raise $750,000 for gear to support student learning.

“It was like Christmas for our students when the large container of equipment showed up,” Coates remembers.

A few years back, Enbridge also donated used infrared cameras and marine communication equipment to GLBBS. Part of being a good corporate citizen is being a good community partner and neighbor. We’re proud to help build the potential of boat-building students and help them launch successful careers in this unique industry.

Out on the water, navigating between the 36 Les Cheneaux Islands and their many bays, channels and coves, the students feel a deep sense of accomplishment.

Sheltered from the wind of the Great Lakes, they’ll raise a sail if the breeze is right, and stay out to catch a glorious orange sunset.

On days like this, it’s easy to dream of all the places their craft will take them.

Our Customer Commitment Centers and graphic designers are integral to our company’s community engagement efforts. Whether its creating puppet shows, dinosaurs and rocket ships, or learning about how to run a business, our designers create visually appealing content that draws in our community members and teaches our sustainability story and company values.

In Minneapolis, we contributed corrugated supplies for a “Cardboard City” makerspace at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The materials were part of a building and engineering studio where science educators, children and parents used their imagination and ingenuity to make something new, or reuse something that was already built!

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.

ROSTOCK, Germany, September 9, 2024 /3BL/ – In the port of Rotterdam yesterday, AIDA Cruises, one of Carnival Corporation’s world-class cruise lines, refueled its AIDAprima cruise ship for the first time using 100% renewable Bio Marine Fuel as part of a pilot project to evaluate the fuel performance in regular ship operations for potential for future use. The blended biofuel is produced entirely from advanced feedstocks organic waste or residue. The Bio Marine Fuel (BMF100) sustainable biofuel supplied by VARO Energy is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions minimum of 85% compared to conventional fossil fuels.

“We are focused on identifying advanced fuels and technologies we can use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In our search for the fuel mix of the future, we have been gathering valuable experience through trials using various biofuels since 2022, and we continue to closely cooperate with experts from industry and science to develop new approaches to continuously reduce emissions,” explains AIDA Cruises President Felix Eichhorn. “In order to achieve a sustainable future, we need a growing supply of biofuels and other low-carbon alternative fuels – available globally at scale and at marketable prices,” Eichhorn continues.

After refueling in Rotterdam, AIDAprima will test the new biofuel during regular ship operations on upcoming voyages from Hamburg through the fjords of Norway. The fuel performance will help determine its potential for future use across the AIDA fleet.

“Since 2019 VARO has successfully developed, blended, and supplied a diverse range of biofuels for marine bunkering. Our products include B30/B100, HVO (up to 100 percent) and various low FAME biofuel blends. We are excited to supply AIDAprima, working with AIDA and Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company. This operation, taking place near our Rotterdam office, reflects our ongoing efforts to support marine customers in their decarbonization journey as the industry adapts to new regulations. We look forward to continuing our work with AIDA and expanding our biofuel offerings in the ARA region and beyond,” commented Sacha Konan, Country President / VP Commercial Benelux & France at VARO Energy.

AIDA Cruises Investing in Alternative Fuels & Technologies 
It is important to AIDA Cruises that second-generation biofuels are used on board, as they are produced exclusively from organic waste and residual materials. Also, when compared to other technological innovations, using biofuels in regular ship operations is uncomplicated because they can be used without major modifications to the engines and tank infrastructure of existing ships. In general, and depending on the specific biofuel used, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced minimum by 85% compared to fossil fuels.

AIDA Cruises has been investing toward a sustainable future for cruising for many years as part of its decarbonization strategy. In addition to trailing biofuels, AIDA Cruises is using liquefied natural gas (LNG) to deliver immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions in the absence of market-ready zero-emission maritime fuels. AIDA Cruises also is expanding its use of alternative energy sources such as shore power to operate ships in port, as well as onboard batteries to store extra energy for use during peak engine operation to reduce fuel use. Together with various partners, the cruise company is working intensively on further solutions for using renewable and synthetic fuels.

AIDA Cruises was one of the first in Carnival Corporation & plc’s family of cruise lines to test biofuels and was among the first to conduct live biofuel tests on working cruise ships globally. The cruise line’s biofuel tests support the overall Carnival Corporation sustainability mission, including its aspiration to achieve net-zero emissions from ship operation by 2050.

VARO Energy supplies biofuels 
AIDA Cruises is working with VARO Energy for the first time on this fuel test. As one of the leaders in the introduction of low-carbon fuels for marine the Swiss based company has taken an innovative blending approach which results in a high-quality marine biofuel that can be used as a drop-in alternative to mineral-based marine fuels without compromising on engine performance. The blend is entirely based on waste and residue streams not suitable for food or animal feed application.

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About Carnival Corporation & plc 
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest global cruise company, and among the largest leisure travel companies, with a portfolio of world-class cruise lines – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.

Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com, www.aida.de, www.carnival.com, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com, www.princess.com, and www.seabourn.com.

For information on Carnival Corporation’s industry-leading sustainability initiatives, visit www.carnivalsustainability.com.

Media Contact:

AIDA Cruises Communication & Sustainability 
presse@aida.de

MIDLAND, Mich., September 9, 2024 /3BL/ – Dow (NYSE: DOW) has received a top score on the Disability Equality Index® and is recognized as one of the “2024 Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.” This is the eighth consecutive year Dow has received this recognition. The index is the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 scope companies to measure disability workplace inclusion inside their organizations and assess performance across industry sectors.

Now in its tenth year, the Disability Equality Index was created by a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates, in partnership with Disability:IN and The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), to help businesses make a positive impact on the unemployment/underemployment of people with disabilities. Today the index is acknowledged as the most robust disability inclusion assessment tool in business.

In 2024, 542 corporations, including 71 Fortune 100 and 220 Fortune 500 utilized the Disability Equality Index to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts.

“We are humbled to once again be recognized as a top performer on the Disability Equality Index” said John Sampson, executive sponsor for Dow’s Disability Employee Network and senior vice president of operations, manufacturing and engineering. “This recognition shows Dow’s commitment to an inclusive culture where individuals of every ability contribute, and where collectively all employees drive value. At Dow, we firmly believe that people with disabilities are an invaluable pool of talent that help move the Company forward.”

Dow recognizes that its employees are the driving force behind its advancement, value creation, and commitment to stakeholders. Globally, people with disabilities represent over one billion people. Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and it crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and religion. That is why in addition to Dow’s inclusive policies and programs, the Company offers an employee resource group, the Disability Employee Network (DEN), with its purpose to drive inclusion, equitable opportunity, and accessibility so that individuals of every ability can thrive.

Visit Dow’s website for additional information on the Company’s commitment to inclusion and diversity and to explore the Company’s 2023 INtersections Progress Report.

About the Disability Equality Index®

The Disability Equality Index has become the leading independent, third-party resource for the annual benchmarking of corporate disability inclusion policies and programs and is now trusted by more than 70% of the United States Fortune 100 and nearly half of the Fortune 500. Such companies must increasingly consider how emerging global reporting directives and stakeholder expectations surrounding social and corporate governance factors impact their operational, cultural, reputational, and financial performance.

The Disability Equality Index is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking, and confidential disability rating tool designed to assist business in advancing inclusion practices. It is a comprehensive benchmark that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions across five scored categories: Culture & Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices, Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity. Participating companies receive a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those scoring 80 or higher earning the distinction of “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the benchmark year.

Findings from a two-year Global Disability Equality Index pilot informed the launch of a scored benchmark that opened in 2024 to seven new countries in addition to the United States. These include: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Now in its 10th year, the Disability Equality Index has grown nearly 7x since 2015, expanding from 80 companies in its first year to 542 in 2024. Collectively, the 2024 edition received 753 submissions spanning the eight benchmarked countries.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility, and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Young
Dow
syoung3@dow.com