It was a huge boost for the Olympic Movement as the announcement meant it had gained its maiden official chemistry company and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge was the first to express his delight with a glowing endorsement.

"As a global leader in the chemical industry and an innovator in sustainability, Dow will provide much more than critical financial support to the Olympic Movement," he says. "They will also bring industry-leading expertise and innovation to the Games themselves. Dow will be an important partner in making our vision for sustainability and global co-operation a reality."

For a closer inspection of the sustainability-driven company I was given the unique opportunity to visit its United States headquarters in Midland, Michigan, and spend an entire day with George Hamilton, Dow's vice-president of Olympic Operations.

Few at Dow know more about the company than Hamilton given that he joined back in 1977 as a seller of plastics to the automotive industry.

Together, we began a fascinating tour of Dow's key facilities and laboratories, and with London 2012 at the top of the agenda the first thing we looked at was the stunning £7 million ($11 million/€8 million) Dow wrap for the Olympic Stadium (pictured below).


In the laboratories I was introduced to some of Dow's top scientists who explained that the wrap had been designed, in ground-breaking fashion, to be completely sustainable so it could be reused after this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games.

I must admit that some of the hugely complex science involved in making perhaps the most sustainable material in history was a little lost on a layman like me – but it was clear that several geniuses had come together to create the wrap. I can fully assure you it is actually a much more complicated item – consisting of various different particles – than will be apparent to the billions who see it on television during the Games.

The interesting thing is that even though the wrap is the most visual symbol of Dow's involvement in London 2012, the company's products are actually all over the Games.

Dow's innovations feature in the walls and ceilings of almost every Olympic venue, and even in the artificial turf on the London 2012 hockey pitch (pictured below). But, stressed Hamilton, being involved with a wrap that will add colour to the stadium and provide signposting for spectators is very important.


"There are too many applications that have Dow chemistry at London 2012 for me to discuss, but none is as visible or iconic as the wrap," he said as we sat down together after the tour at Dow's exhibition InVision Zero home, which uses 70 per cent less energy than a conventional home.

"It is great that it is going to encircle the most iconic, visual property of the London Games and everybody who sees the Games, either in person or on television, will at some point see that wrap. Although there is obviously no branding on it everybody is going to know the wrap is provided by Dow.

"But it is not just the fact that it is produced by Dow that is the most important thing: it is what is behind why we did it.

"We did it to demonstrate a more environmentally friendly way of bringing innovation and solving a problem.

"The wrap is just one area where we can apply our scientists, and demonstrate our belief that science and humanity can solve any problem.

"The wrap gives us that great visual and the visible ability to tell that story.

"The wrap has been designed in ground-breaking fashion so that 100 per cent of the material for it can be reused after London 2012 – Dow are currently assessing several options to ensure the best usage for the wrap after the Games."

But perhaps more importantly for Dow is life beyond the wrap. After all, the company has had less than two years to prepare for London 2012; but Sochi 2014, Rio 2016, Pyeongchang 2018 and the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics provide an opportunity for more strategic planning.

So what are Dow's plans for these events?


"Each Games has a different objective," Hamilton points out.

"The last three have been about sustainability and each Games wants to be more sustainable than the last. But can you continuously improve in the area of sustainability?

"I think so through chemistry.

"There are obviously different challenges with each Games – such as Summer and Winter Games because there is a climate issue that causes you to work in a different solution space.

"You also have challenges with culture, regulation, materials and supply chains. So it is about supplying solutions that work for each situation."

There is also the Paralympics, and I ask Hamilton if Dow has big plans in that area.

"Dow has a very strong commitment to diversity and inclusion," he affirms.

"So the Paralympics is a great way for us to reinforce that commitment to our employees and demonstrate how Dow is contributing to making the world better for people with an impairment.

"We are already engaged with Sochi about what it is trying to accomplish with its Paralympic programme, and if it is the right fit we will be happy to do it.

"But we are still very early in our Olympic journey. We are trying to learn and digest before we seriously go out there to look at what we do next. But the Paralympics is at the top of the list in terms of what we care about and we looking closely at it moving forward."

Hamilton is keen to offer further examples of Dow's commitment to the cause of disability sport.


"Last summer, we sponsored the Special Olympics in Athens, which a lot of people think are under the same umbrella [as the Paralympics], although they are not. The Olympics, the Paralympics, the Special Olympics: each is unique and gives us different decisions to make in terms of how we get involved and contribute."

From listening to the enthusiastic Hamilton it is clear Dow has something great to offer the Olympic Movement. Indeed Rogge himself strongly believes that Dow is able to "bring industry-leading expertise and innovation to the Games themselves" – and, therefore, help take them to the next level.

But how does Dow benefit from all this and why did it make the huge commitment to sign up as a Worldwide Olympic Partner for such a long period of time?

"Our TOP [The Olympic Partner] sponsorship is an opportunity to grow and transform our company, and a platform to help share with the world our contributions to the Games," Hamilton explains.

"It provides Dow with a platform to demonstrate how its technology contributes to sustainability and to the progress of mankind. Additionally, the Olympic infrastructure creates a large market opportunity for many of Dow's products from energy efficiency and coatings for buildings to plastics for stadium seats and sports equipment.

"But [the sponsorship programme] is also part of our growth objective. The Games will be going from London to Sochi in 2014 to Rio in 2016 and then to Pyeongchang in 2018 – that obviously provides us with a great chance to help accelerate our engagement with those [host] countries and bring the market-leading solutions we demonstrate at the Olympics and Paralympics to the wider community in those areas.

"It absolutely allows us to be an ambassador for the industry and talk about the good that chemistry does in the world.

"Whether it is Dow's chemistry or not, the Games is a great platform for [the worldwide, everyday benefits of] chemistry."


Despite the shortage of its preparation time for London 2012, Dow has performed miracles to have everything in place to ensure it plays its part in creating a great Games. Given that London 2012 is the first Olympics and Paralympics Dow will be involved with, Hamilton (pictured above, right) admits there is a real buzz of anticipation in the air.

"We are very, very excited," he declares.

"We will be launching our whole media around the Games and our employees are very, very proud; they are proud of the Olympics and what it stands for, and we are using that as a way to highlight all the good work our 52,000 employees around the world do every day.

"I have been around this company for 35 years," he continues. "I know what this company stands for. I know about our ethics, our morals and our commitment to the communities where we operate in and serve. I know all about our commitment to making the world better through chemistry.

"Let's also remember what we are involved with here.

"The Olympic Movement touches people in a way that no other organisation does and uses sport to bring the world together to make the world better.

"Dow is about using our chemistry and humanity to solve many of the world's problems so we think our objectives and what we stand for connect very, very well.

"I have now had the chance to see how the Olympic Family works together to make a successful Games and it works collaboratively in a way I have not seen in any other organisation.

"The Games makes a lasting impact both on people and areas. Knowing we are part of that is pretty great.

"It's pretty motivational and pretty inspiring."

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.

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