 dow performance packaging joins the save food initiative düsseldorf germany horgen switzerland, march 5, 2013 &ndash today, the save food initiative and dow performance packaging, a business unit of performance plastics within dow europe gmbh nyse dow, announce that the company has become an official member of the save food initiative. this decision is an important next step for dow, based on the objectives of both organizations to address the global issue of food shortage and food waste. save food is pleased to include a supplier of resins to the food packaging value chain as one of their members, allowing the initiative to add yet another option to fight food waste. the save food initiative is a joint campaign instituted by the food and agriculture organization of the united nations and messe düsseldorf gmbh to fight global food loss. &ldquothe aim of the save food initiative is to reduce the problem of food loss and food waste by networking the knowhow of the participating organisations and enterprises. with its expertise and international scope, dow can make a major contribution to the success of save food.ultimately, the most effective leverage points in the food value chain will be always be found &bdquoat the workface in daytoday practice &ndash and that is where industry involvement is essential,&rdquo explains bernd jablonowski, director of interpack and save food at messe düsseldorf. one of dow&rsquos corporate 2015 sustainability goals is to achieve at least three breakthroughs that will significantly help solve the world&rsquos major challenges, including affordable and adequate food supply. as it is one of dow&rsquos business objectives to contribute to the development of better packaging solutions, there is a clear fit between the two organizations. &ldquoas one of the major suppliers to the food packaging industry, it is our aim to develop the best possible food packaging solutions to safeguard food,&rdquo says marc van den biggelaar, marketing director food packaging emea at dow. &ldquoour membership with save food provides us the opportunity to engage with the industry and contribute to the development of nextgeneration packaging materials, which will drive the reduction of food waste&rdquo. at the same time, the membership of save food will help dow share its views and knowledge regarding food packaging solutions with other involved parties. &ldquothe food waste challenge is a very large and complex one, which requires unique collaboration. by joining save food, we add another option to work across the value chain on the reduction of food waste,&rdquo says marc. &ldquowe are looking forward to working with the initiative and its members and are proud to be part of this organization&rdquo. about dowdow nyse dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. the company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world&39s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. dow&39s diversified industryleading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technologybased products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. in 2012, dow had annual sales of approximately 57 billion and employed approximately 54,000 people worldwide. the company&39s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 countries across the globe. references to "dow" or the "company" mean the dow chemical company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. more information about dow can be found at www.dow.com. about the save food initiativethe save food initiative is a joint campaign instituted by the food and agriculture organisation of the united nations and messe düsseldorf gmbh to fight global food loss. save food aims at networking stakeholders in industry, politics and research, encouraging dialogue and helping to develop solutions along the food value chain. one of its aims is to enlist the support of industry in initiating and sponsoring its own save food projects. save food premiered in may 2011 with an international congress at interpack, the world&rsquos most important trade fair for the packaging industry. more information about save food can be found on www.savefood.org.
