In an address in Washington, D.C., Andrew Liveris, President, CEO and Chairman of The Dow Chemical Company, announced the company's sustainability goals for the next decade.

Speaking to leaders of the policy, regulatory, business and environmental communities at Washington's Willard Intercontinental Hotel, Liveris outlined an ambitious multi-part program to address some of the most pressing economic, social and environmental concerns facing the global community over the next 10 years.

Specifically, among the goals introduced by Liveris today was a commitment to achieving at least three breakthroughs to address the world's ability to solve the challenges of affordable and adequate food supply; decent housing; sustainable water supplies; or improved personal health and safety.

"As we strive to achieve the goals I've outlined for today, we will reach beyond the fences of our company," Liveris said. "Sustainability begins at home, but its destiny is to engage the problems of the world. We will build on our company's rich legacy of leadership in solving the world's most pressing problems with a spirit of fearless accountability, not just for our own footprint on the planet, but the collective footprint we make because we are part of the human family."

Liveris also announced Dow's commitment to improving the company's energy efficiency, developing alternative sources of energy and addressing the challenge of global climate change that has been driven by the consumption of fossil fuels.

Between 1996 and 2005, Dow has reduced its consumption of fossil fuels per pound of product by more than 20 percent. Dow's 2015 goals call for further improvements in energy efficiency of 25 percent over the next decade.

In the area of climate change, Dow's 2015 goals also call for reducing the company's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity by 2.5 percent annually between 2006 and 2015. According to Liveris, the company will achieve this reduction via a combination of energy efficiency; greater use of alternative, low GHG emission energy sources; and GHG offsets such as those permitted under Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the 1999 Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change.

"It is now clear that the world's climate is impacted by increases in greenhouse gases, of which CO2 created by the burning of fossil fuels, is the single largest component," Liveris said. "Some have said our industry's intense appetite for fossil fuels disqualifies us somehow from being part of the solution. On the contrary, no one in the world is more intensely aware of the need, ultimately, to reinvent our dependency on oil and natural gas than we are. In other words, we will lead the way on energy transformation because we have to."

Summary of Dow's 2015 Goals:

In addition to energy consumption, climate change and the four global challenges outlined in Liveris's address today, included among the highlights of Dow's 2015 sustainability commitments are:

OLD - Dow Chemical Company

OLD - Dow Chemical Company

With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.