MIDLAND, Mich., July 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dow (NYSE:
DOW), the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the
Ladies European Tour (LET) announced today that Dow will serve as
the Official Sustainability Resource for the organizations.
The move symbolizes Dow's commitment to help sectors continue to
develop, mobilize and accelerate effective action, and generate
far-reaching results across a range of priority themes connected to
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The partnership is a four-year commitment to collaborate toward
these goals – creating a strategic blueprint for sustainable action
across women's professional golf that will extend existing
initiatives in equity, diversity and inclusion, and strengthen
approaches to climate action, promotion of biodiversity, and
reductions in resource use and waste.
Together, Dow, the LPGA and the LET aim to deliver direct
positive impacts; generate tangible and lasting legacies; share
knowledge; and celebrate credible and inspirational leadership
examples.
"Our work with the LPGA and LET is perfectly in step with Dow's
ambitious 2025 sustainability goals, specifically by leading a
blueprint for sustainability and engaging with communities,
customers and employees for positive impact," said Mary Draves, chief sustainability officer and
vice president, Environment, Health & Safety, Dow. "Through
creative collaborations with like-minded partners, we can help
ensure the well-being of people and the planet through the power of
sport."
"We have a history with Dow in promoting inclusion and career
advancement for women in golf and we're excited to expand this
effort through this first-of-its kind partnership," said Kelly
Hyne, LPGA Chief Sales Officer. "As one of the world's
longest-running women's professional sports associations, we have a
distinct opportunity to drive meaningful change among tournaments,
players, fans and the communities that welcome us by taking action
on sustainability – socially, environmentally and
economically."
As the Official Sustainability Resource, Dow is working closely
with the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf (GEO) — a non-profit
organization dedicated to inspiring, supporting and recognizing
sustainability in and through golf around the world. Dow and GEO
will provide expertise to help develop LPGA and LET strategy, plus
support and solutions to ensure effective and impactful delivery.
GEO brings a wealth of experience to the table, working
collaboratively with golf governing bodies, associations, athletes
and media over the last 15 years. More widely, GEO has been highly
active in the mainstream movement of sustainability, consulting
with government agencies, NGOs, and business and supply chain
platforms to bring the latest knowledge and insights to
sustainability solutions for golf associations, tournaments, venues
and athletes.
The expanded collaboration is an evolution of the success
achieved at the inaugural Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (Dow
GLBI) in 2019, which became the first LPGA tournament to be GEO
Certified®.
The first year of Dow as the Official Sustainability Resource
will be dedicated to creating a baseline for long-term success, as
well as exploring immediate opportunities for new action in
inclusion, diversity and environmental stewardship. The program
will expand to include developing initiatives which will promote
sustainability and events centered on education and empowerment of
young female golfers.
"Golf can play a highly valuable role in both championing and
delivering on important social and environmental issues," said LET
Chief Executive Officer Alexandra
Armas. "Alongside partners such as Dow and the GEO
Foundation, we are able to develop our leadership, support others
and then celebrate powerful stories across our community. We are
inspired to take action on some of the most important issues of our
time - fostering nature; conserving resources; taking climate
action; and strengthening communities through women's professional
golf.'
The LET and Dow also collaborate on "Celebrating the Green," an
initiative spearheaded by the LET to celebrate and inspire change
around conservation, climate and community across women's golf.
Dow has been working alongside the LPGA since 2018 as the
association's Official Marketing Partner.
For more information on how Dow is helping bring new levels of
sustainability and innovation to the game of golf, visit
www.dow.com/golf.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and
scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve
profitable growth. The Company's ambition is to become the most
innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials
science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for
the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration
with our partners. Dow's portfolio of plastics, industrial
intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad
range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for
its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging,
infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106
manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately
35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $39 billion in 2020. References to Dow or the
Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information,
please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on
Twitter.
About the LPGA
The LPGA is the world's leading professional golf organization
for women, with a goal to change the face of golf by making the
sport more accessible and inclusive.
Created in 1950 by 13 Founders, the Association celebrates a
diverse and storied history. The LPGA Tour competes across the
globe, reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries.
The Symetra Tour, the LPGA's official qualifying tour, consistently
produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA
also holds a joint-venture collaboration with the Ladies European
Tour (LET), increasing playing opportunities for female golfers in
Europe. Across the three Tours,
the LPGA represents players in more than 60 countries.
Additionally, the LPGA Foundation has empowered and supported
girls and women since 1991, most notably through LPGA*USGA Girls
Golf, the only national program of its kind, which annually engages
with nearly 100,000 girls. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association and
LPGA Women's Network provide virtual and in-person connections to
female golfers around the world, while LPGA Professionals are
educators, business leaders and gamechangers dedicated to growing
the game of golf for everyone.
Follow the LPGA on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel,
online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the
social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
YouTube.
About LET
The LET inspires women and girls to pursue their passion and
realise their potential through the game of golf. At our core, we
aim to build and deliver an extensive competitive schedule of
events to enable our strong, energetic, proud, and confident
players to compete at the highest level, pursue their dreams and
lead by example.
Our diverse and multicultural membership of 316 professional
golfers represents as many as 36 countries. We are a global tour
with roots in Europe. We aim to
entertain and excite, but also to enhance health and quality of
life, as a responsible, committed and respectful partner.
Inspiring – our players are inspiring role models to
follow and encourage others to pursue their own dreams.
Passionate – we are driven by a passion to perform
to our full potential and get better every day. It's not just about
the money or the glory, but a true love for the game.
Committed – we are fiercely committed to continuous
improvement and recognise the grit that it takes to achieve
long-term goals.
The 2021 LET season is the 43rd series of golf tournaments since
the professional tour was founded in 1978 and marks the second
edition of the Race to Costa del Sol. This year's schedule includes
28 events in 20 different countries, including the Summer Olympics
and the Solheim Cup, and a record-breaking prize fund of over €19
million.
The LET Access Series is the official development tour of the
LET, formed to give players an opportunity to compete and progress
onto the LET and achieve their dreams in professional
golf.
About GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf
GEO Foundation is the international not-for-profit dedicated to
advancing sustainability in and through golf. Its goal is to work
collaboratively to help the sport embrace environmental and social
issues and become widely acclaimed for its proactive leadership
role in fostering nature, conserving resources, building stronger
communities and taking climate action. In addition to its strategic
support through partnerships with associations, GEO assures the
OnCourse® programmes for grassroots golf facilities, new
developments and tournaments, each of which can lead to the
internationally accredited, endorsed and independently verified GEO
Certified® label. Follow on @sustainablegolf and
www.sustainable.golf
For further information, please contact:
Chris Chandler
(989) 615-1685
CMChandler@company.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DowNewsroom
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dow/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/dow-chemical
Instagram: http://instagram.com/dow_official
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SOURCE The Dow Chemical Company