One year ago, with the world’s main sports event about to take place in London, The Dow Chemical Company presented an innovative and more sustainable solution to enable the completion of the Olympic Stadium as originally planned by its architects - the Stadium Wrap.
This specialized wrap, fabric coated with technology from Dow Elastomers, addressed the rigorous performance and sustainability requirements of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). Today, the Stadium Wrap is serving a variety of purposes, according to the plan announced by Dow after the London 2012 Olympic Games.
In June, “The Official Chemistry Company” of the Olympic Games concluded the installation of shades at the "Bola Pra Frente" (“moving the ball forward”) Institute, a social project that benefits hundreds of kids and teenagers at the Muquiço community, in Guadalupe, Rio de Janeiro. This project was founded 13 years ago by a former soccer player, Olympic medalist and member of the 1994 World Cup-winning squad Jorginho.
The "Bola Pra Frente" Institute was selected to receive the Stadium Wrap given its continued efforts to educate socially-vulnerable children and teenagers in Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Panels have been installed as shades at the Institute’s headquarters to increase the available space for outdoor activities. This project was completed in partnership with ES Global, a worldwide expert company that joined forces with Dow for the wrap’s post-game reuse plan.
The installation of the Stadium Wrap shades also offered an opportunity to provide training and work to eight young people in the Muquiço Community, who installed the panels and canopies after going through a training program.
"The opportunity to bring one of our Company’s key innovations from the London 2012 Olympic Games to 'Bola Pra Frente,' a social project located at the next Olympic Host City, emphasizes Dow's commitment to the Olympic Games and to Rio de Janeiro," says George Hamilton, vice president, Dow Olympic Operations.
In addition to the "Bola Pra Frente" Institute in Brazil, an organization dedicated to the education and social inclusion of children exposed to the hardships of civil war in Uganda, Africa, will also receive panels for a similar purpose later this year.
The remaining panels have been allocated for recycling and reuse by British company Axion Recycling. The recycled material will be used as material for packaging, flooring and building applications. These programs successfully fulfill Dow’s commitment to LOCOG on the post-Games usage of the innovative Stadium Wrap.
As a provider of innovative solutions and “The Official Chemistry Company” of the Olympic Games through 2020, Dow is taking a piece of the London Games’ legacy to Rio de Janeiro to help promote a direct connection between two editions of the Olympic Games and emphasize the Company’s commitment to sustainable development.
Sustainability is part of Dow's vision, mission, and values, and the reuse of the Stadium Wrap highlights Dow’s role in implementing and promoting actions that will address the needs of society, while reducing the environmental impact and contributing to the development of local communities.
