Developing our 2030 strategy

In 2018, the DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, now DuPont de Nemours, conducted a materiality assessment to determine the strategic sustainability priorities for the specialty products businesses. 

We polled customers, investors, suppliers, NGOs and internal stakeholders representing each of our businesses, to find out which topics they thought DuPont’s new sustainability strategy and 2030 Sustainability Goals could potentially address. After evaluating their feedback, we cross-referenced that list with the key issues identified in our previous materiality review conducted in 2015, as well as topics covered in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards.

We also held workshops with subsets of these internal and external stakeholders, where we captured a rich and diverse set of viewpoints and evaluated the likelihood and magnitude of both long and short-term risks and opportunities in our operations and value chains. We validated our results with external sustainability experts.

 
 
 
Our sustainability framework

Analyzing stakeholders’ feedback led us to six priority areas—Circular Economy; Climate Change; Health, Safety and Well-being; Product Safety and Transparency; and Water Stewardship. Several of these priority areas, like climate change, circular economy, health and safety, and water stewardship, must be addressed through innovation, operational excellence, and new collaborations with our business partners.

We created a framework that supports our company growth strategy, provides common ground for our diverse businesses, and led to the establishment of ambitious sustainability goals that address our most critical sustainability areas. We published these goals in the fourth quarter of 2019.

 
 
 
DuPont and the SDGs

U.N. Sustainable Development Goals 

We are using the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding set of principles to understand what the world needs action on, now. Even as our business and product portfolio evolves, these global goals will continue to be used as a source of worldwide consensus on sustainability priorities for our scientists and engineers to work toward innovative solutions. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DuPont Sustainability Goals

DuPont’s new 2030 Sustainability Goals are also helping to shape our innovation agenda and processes. We designed the goals to be challenging – to provoke technological breakthroughs and new ideas for addressing society’s biggest challenges. Go here to learn about the rationales and beliefs that underpin our sustainability goals:

 
 
 
Global Challenges
Delivering Solutions for Global Challenges:
 
Align 100% of our innovation portfolio to meaningfully advance the UN SDGs and create value for our customers.
Enabling a Circular Economy
Enabling a Circular Economy:
 

Integrate circular economy principles into our business models considering lifecycle impacts in the markets we serve.

Innovating Safer by Design
Innovating Safer by Design:

Design 100% of our products and processes using sustainability criteria including the principles of green chemistry.
 
 
 
Acting on climate
Acting on climate:
 
Reduce Green House Gas (GHGs) emissions 30% including sourcing 60% of electricity from renewable energy. Deliver carbon neutral operations by 2050.
Water stewardship
Leading water stewardship:
 
Implement holistic water strategies across all facilities prioritizing manufacturing plants and communities in high-risk watersheds. Enable millions of people access to clean water through leadership in advancing water technology and enacting strategic partnerships.
Deliver world-class environmental health and safety performance
Delivering world-class health and safety performance:

Further our commitment to zero injuries, occupational illnesses, and incidents.
 
 
 
Accelerating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Accelerating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
 
Become one of the world’s most inclusive companies, with diversity well ahead of industry benchmarks.
Cultivating Well Being and Fulfillment
Cultivating Well-being and Fulfillment:
 
Create a workplace where employees report high levels of well-being and fulfillment.
Building Thriving Communities
Building Thriving Communities:

Improve over 100 million lives through targeted social impact programs.
 
 
 
Sustainability Governance

Each DuPont business segment has a dedicated sustainability leader responsible for overseeing business and product-level sustainability efforts. These business sustainability leaders are part of a cross-business, cross-functional Sustainability Leadership Council, chaired by the VP of Corporate Sustainability. Executive responsibility for sustainability performance sits with the Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer (CTSO). The CTSO role was created specifically for DuPont to capitalize on the intrinsic link between sustainability and innovation in our operating model.

The CTSO chairs the Sustainability Oversight Committee, an executive steering committee, whose members are strategically appointed based on their respective areas of leadership—operational excellence, employee experience and development, innovation, and business oversight. The Sustainability Oversight Committee reviews and approves DuPont’s corporate sustainability goals, performance, policies and initiatives. The CTSO reports directly to the CEO, and routinely engages the Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability Committee of the Board of Directors on matters of sustainability, product stewardship and community impact. 

 
 
 

Right now, in more than 40 countries, we’re turning local insights into global solutions. A diverse and global network of research centers, manufacturing sites and offices enable us to bring unmatched talent and expertise to our customers and partners around the world.

View our global locations
 
 
 
 
 
 
Learn more about DuPont Sustainability
Delivering Solutions for Global Challenges

Align 100% of our innovation portfolio to meaningfully advance the UN SDGs and create value for our customers

Delivering Solutions for Global Challenges
See Goal
Enabling a Circular Economy

Integrate circular economy principles into our business models considering lifecycle impacts in the markets we serve.

Enabling a Circular Economy
See Goal
Innovating Safer By Design

Design 100% of our products and processes using sustainability criteria including the principles of green chemistry.

Innovating Safer By Design
See Goal
Acting on Climate

Reduce greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions 30%, including sourcing 60% of electricity from renewable energy by 2030, and deliver carbon neutral operations by 2050.

Acting on Climate
See Goal
Leading Water Stewardship

Implement holistic water strategies across all facilities, prioritizing manufacturing plants and communities in high-risk watersheds; and enable millions of people access to clean water through leadership in advancing water technology and enacting strategic partnerships.

Leading Water Stewardship
See Goal
Accelerating Diversity and Inclusion

Become one of the world’s most inclusive companies, with diversity well ahead of industry benchmarks.

Accelerating Diversity and Inclusion
See Goal
Cultivating Well-Being and Fulfillment

Create a workplace where employees report high levels of well-being and fulfillment.

Cultivating Well-Being and Fulfillment
See Goal
Building Thriving Communities

Improve over 100 million lives through targeted social impact programs.

Building Thriving Communities
See Goal
Sustainability Strategy

Read more about our sustainability strategy.

Sustainability Strategy
Stakeholder Engagement

Engaging with industry peers, policymakers, and the partners along our value chain to advance sustainability.

Stakeholder Engagement
GRI Index

Read the 2020 GRI Index for more details and data on our sustainability performance.

GRI Index
 
 
 
More in sustainability
Sustainability Reporting
Sustainability Reporting
Position Statements
Position Statements
Science and Innovation
Science and Innovation
Story Hub
Story Hub