More than four years after Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, ERM verified carbon reduction from projects initiated to balance the carbon footprint of the event has amounted to 2,752,803 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), more than five times the commitment made by The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) to the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in Dow’s role as the Games’ Official Carbon Partner.

Dow was also the Official Carbon Partner of Rio 2016 and in this capacity, Dow delivered the committed 500,000 tonnes of CO2e, balancing the estimated direct footprint of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee, and an additional 733,677 tonnes of CO2e towards the broader aspirational goal of the Olympic Games ahead of the expected time frame. These data and status reports on the Olympic carbon reduction programs are published in a new carbon report specifically related to Dow’s collaborations with the Olympic Movement. 

Sochi 2014 was the first Olympic Games to have the direct carbon footprint of the Organizing Committee mitigated even before the event’s Opening Ceremony while Rio 2016 had the most comprehensive carbon mitigation program, reaching beyond Brazil to introduce low carbon technologies across Latin America. 

“Dow’s initiatives with the Olympic Games are being monitored and disclosed under the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification guidelines prescribed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by ERM Group. Our responsibility is to conduct independent assessments and validation of Dow’s reports and verify project results,” explained Braulio Pikman, Technical Director at ERM. “The efforts undertaken by Dow are accurately reported and aligned with the methodology outlined in Dow’s Climate Solutions Framework that consolidates, adapts and goes beyond the most acknowledgeable international guidelines while ensuring environmental integrity is protected in all cases.”