Dow Chemical and Live Earth partner to solve the global water crisis

The big blue wave

03 November 2009 00:15  [Source: ICB]

Dow Chemical, Live Earth and celebrities team up to tackle the water crisis by raising awareness as well as funds

WATER COVERS 70% of the earth, yet only 2.5% is suitable for drinking. And about 1bn people, or one-eighth of the global population, have no access to clean, safe drinking water.US-based chemical major Dow Chemical is partnering with environmental organization Live Earth to turn the tide.

At a star-studded event on October 13 in New York City, US, the groups announced the launch of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water event in New York City. The event, which will take place on April 18, 2010 in at least 20 cities worldwide, is aimed at combating the global water crisis through raising awareness and funding for water projects worldwide. The run/walk will be 6km, representing the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water, Dow said. Nongovernmental organization partners in the Dow Live Earth Run initiative include Live Earth, Global Water Challenge, A Child's Right, Akvo, Fondo Para La Paz, Indonesia Water Partnership, Lien Aid, Pump Aid and Wildlands Conservation Trust.

Some children walk up to 6km (3.7 miles)...

"We want to generate a surge in awareness and level of funding that will make a difference - making a dent in the number of people who don't have access to clean, safe drinking water," said Ian Barbour, general manager of Dow Water & Process Solutions, at the event at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in New York City. "We must energize people to get involved."

While helping to solve the global water crisis is a worthwhile humanitarian cause, it is also good for business, he acknowledges.Dow Chemical aims to grow its Dow Water & Process Solutions unit by double-digit rates.

"We've seen average annual growth of 12-15% for our water business in the last decade, and we expect this level of organic growth going forward," said Barbour in an interview with ICIS at the event. "We are also looking out for acquisitions, especially of new technologies that can drive down the cost of water purification."

One of Dow's sustainability goals is to drive a 35% reduction in the cost of water reuse and desalination by 2015 through component technology advances.

... to fetch vital water supplies

Dow's Water & Process Solutions business unit, which incorporates the former Rohm and Haas water treatment chemical business, has just under $1bn (€680m) in annual sales, said Barbour. The business produces reverse osmosis filtration membranes, ion-exchange resins and electrodeionization products to remove contaminants and impurities from water.

The continuing construction of desalination plants worldwide is a major driver of growth, said Barbour.

"The... construction of desalination plants... is a major driver of growth" Ian Barbour, general manager, Dow Water & Process Solutions

"As we've gone down the cost curve of supplying membranes (for filtration), these methods have increasingly been deployed. Australia is building huge desalination plants, as well as Israel with its Ashkelon facility," he noted.

Israel's Ashkelon desalination plant is the largest in the world using the reverse osmosis method, which uses polymer membranes to produce clean water from sea water.

The market in which Dow Water & Process Solutions competes, which includes membranes, resins, carbon media, pumps and valves, is valued at around $40bn-45bn, compared with $400bn-440bn for the entire water market, according to Barbour.

"We are focused on chemistry and polymer science for purification," he said.

STAR POWER
But what about celebrities and the chemical industry? Like oil and water you might say. But the stars came out in force for the New York City launch of the Dow Live Earth Run for Water.

The event, which was bolstered by speeches from celebrities such as actress Jessica Biel, who starred in the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, musicians Pete Wentz and Angelique Kidjo, water advocate Alexandra Cousteau (the granddaughter of famed French water researcher Jacques Cousteau) and elite triathlete and model Jenny Fletcher, draws attention to the chemical industry being part of the solution to critical world issues.

"Responsible corporate citizens like Dow make events and movements like this possible. They have committed to making changes in their business to positively affect communities and citizens around the world," said Biel.

On the surface, it would appear to be an unnatural alliance – the world’s third-largest chemical company and Live Earth, an environmental organization founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former US Vice President and climate change activist Al Gore.

But water is an issue that transcends all borders – physical and psychological.

"Water does not recognize borders – it connects us all downstream. Water is life," said Alexandra Cousteau, who leads the water movement Blue Legacy.

"Sometimes we’re too defensive in the chemical industry. Here is a fantastic opportunity to show what chemistry can do in tackling a critical world issue," Barbour said.

"This is not an insurmountable problem. Solutions exist and we are part of the solution. There is hope."

See event videos on the ICIS Green Chemicals Blog

By: Joseph Chang
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