DuPont Summary

belcdupont

Description of Company:

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel. DuPont is headquartered in Wilmington, DE. In 2004, it had revenues of $27.3 billion and employed 60,000 people.  Visit DuPont's Web site for more information. [1]

Targets:

    Reduced GHG emissions by 72 percent from 1990 levels. Goal was 65% by
           2010.

    Reduced global energy use 7 percent below 1990 levels. Goal was to hold
          total energy use flat through 2010.

Currently source five percent of total energy consumption from renewable
energy sources. Corporate goal is to source 10 percent of global energy use from renewable resources by 2010.
Derive 25% of business revenue from non-depletable raw materials (e.g. services, agriculture and nutrition products, renewable feedstocks) by 2010. Currently 2/3 of the way to goal.

BELC Company Targets [2]

CEO:

Charles O. Holliday, Jr.

CEO Quote Regarding Climate Change:

"Environmental performance is part of an all-encompassing internal drive toward true sustainable growth. As a company, DuPont believes that action is warranted, not further debate. We also believe that the best approach is for business to lead, not wait for public outcry or government mandates. From our experience of the past ten years, we know that integrating environmental considerations into our business strategies enhances our ability to achieve sustainable growth."

Bio-based materials and products

DuPont, in partnership with Tate & Lyle, has begun producing bio-PDO^TM, one of the raw materials of its Sorona® polymer at a facility in Loudon, TN. Bio-PDO^TM (1,3 propanediol) is produced from corn in a process that consumes 40 percent less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent versus petroleum based propanediol. Sorona® fibers are used in the manufacture of automotive and home furnishings, and packaging materials. Read about the announcement here [3].

Read a fact sheet about Bio-PDO^TM by clicking here [4].

Read a fact sheet about DuPont's Sorona® polymer by clicking here [5].

Biofuels

Dupont has announced [6] (pdf) a new partnership with BP [7] to bring a next generation of biofuels to the market to meet growing global demand for renewable transportation fuels. For more information on the initiative click here [8].

Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Success Stories Summary:

DuPont committed to its first energy goal in 1989 – to reduce energy use (measured in BTUs per pound of finished product) by 15 percent by 2000. By 2000, DuPont held total energy use flat versus 1990 levels, despite a 35 percent increase in production, and further committed to hold total energy use flat for the next decade. DuPont estimates that its energy efficiency initiatives saved the company about $2 billion between 1990 and 2000.
At Sabine River Works site (Texas), the company’s largest energy consuming location, DuPont improved overall site energy efficiency by 40 percent in 2008 versus the previous year, resulting in annualized energy savings of 1,564,000 MMBtu, and the equivalent greenhouse gas reduction of 181,000 tons.
DuPont achieved this through a program of process improvements and capital expenditures. Some of the specific projects that contributed to improvement include improved process distillation, process to process heat exchanges, improved furnace combustion, improved turbine drive blades and nozzles, reduced fouling of heat exchanger surfaces, and preheating of process streams.

Internal Operations summary:

DuPont committed to its first energy goal in 1989 – to reduce energy use (measured in BTUs per pound of finished product) by 15 percent by 2000. By 2000, DuPont held total energy use flat versus 1990 levels, despite a 35 percent increase in production, and further committed to hold total energy use flat for the next decade. DuPont estimates that its energy efficiency initiatives saved the company about $2 billion between 1990 and 2000.
To accelerate the company’s improvement in energy efficiency, DuPont is implementing a 3-year “Bold Energy Plan.” This plan requires the company’s 100 largest sites to establish an annual energy reduction target based on the elimination of defects in energy-using systems. Collectively, the sites are working on over 500 defect-elimination projects that will reduce energy use 8 percent compared to 2007 operations.
DuPont introduced fuel-efficient fleet vehicles, with the goal of a 100 percent energy-efficient fleet by 2015.
At Sabine River Works site (Texas), the company’s largest energy consuming location, DuPont improved overall site energy efficiency by 40 percent in 2008 versus the previous year, resulting in annualized energy savings of 1,564,000 MMBtu, and the equivalent greenhouse gas reduction of 181,000 tons.
DuPont achieved this through a program of process improvements and capital expenditures. Some of the specific projects that contributed to improvement include improved process distillation, process to process heat exchanges, improved furnace combustion, improved turbine drive blades and nozzles, reduced fouling of heat exchanger surfaces, and preheating of process streams.

Products & Services summary:

DuPont has set a corporate goal to increase its annual revenues by at least $2 billion by 2015 from products that create energy efficiency and/or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. DuPont estimates these products will result in at least 40 million tons of additional carbon dioxide equivalent reductions by its customers and consumers.
Tyvek, a synthetic material developed by DuPont used commonly in construction, can improve energy efficiency of buildings, with energy savings in the first year of use 10-20 times the energy required for production.
DuPont is engineering polymers in applications like intake manifolds to help reduce the weight of motor vehicles and improve fuel efficiency.
DuPont has other products that promote energy efficiency, such as digital printing systems that use less energy and 30 percent lighter sunroofs for autos that lead to fuel efficiency.

belcdupont DuPont [9] is a member of the Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC), the largest U.S.-based association of companies dedicated to business and policy solutions to climate change. DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, the company puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

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