The Rio 2016 Organising Committee has announced that the Dow Chemical Company will be its official carbon partner – and first member of its ‘Embrace Sustainability’ programme – with the aim of creating climate benefits to mitigate 500,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the organisation and staging of the Olympic Games.

Dow will invest in innovative technologies to help reduce the carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency across different industries in Brazil, in areas such as food packaging, agriculture and construction.

“Responsibility for the management of our carbon emissions is a commitment from the Games’ bid,” said Tânia Braga, Rio 2016’s head of sustainability. “Additionally, the technologies being implemented will create a legacy for strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. This is a big challenge, but I’m confident that we’ll achieve our goals with the most comprehensive carbon mitigation programme in the history of the Olympic Games.”

Dow has developed a programme specially tailored for the Brazilian market that will mitigate 500,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents (CO2eq, the metric measurement used for GHGs) from the Games through third party-verified emission reductions. The aim is also to leave a post-Games legacy, with Dow and Rio 2016 working to generate an additional 1.5 million tonnes of CO2eq in climate benefits by 2026, addressing other Games-related emissions. 

“In a unique collaborative effort, we are working with customers and partners across different industry sectors to identify opportunities for the implementation of low-carbon and energy efficient technologies in the region,” said Dr Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, global technology and sustainability director at Dow Olympic Operations.

Dow, which is the official chemistry company of the Olympic Games, also worked on reducing the carbon footprint of the Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. The company is the first partner to join Rio 2016’s ‘Embrace Sustainability’ programme (Abraça Sustainability in Portuguese) that aims to promote and stage the Games with low environmental impact and a positive social legacy.

“The Rio 2016 Games represent a unique opportunity to transform Rio de Janeiro through the infrastructure improvements already taking shape within the city and its surroundings,” said Sidney Levy, Rio 2016’s CEO. “But we want the benefits from the Games to be nationwide. The question of carbon is one of the best examples of the sustainability programme’s legacy for Brazil, as it brings technological advances to important areas of our country’s economy while mitigating the Games’ GHG emissions.”