Dow
Showing a commitment to sustainability
A business strategy built on sustainability
Sustainability is about much more than being “green.” It’s become a vitally important part of business strategy for enterprises like Dow, one of the world’s most prominent materials science companies.
Dow has long been a trendsetter in environmental, social and governance (ESG), the core tenets of sustainable business practices. The company worked with Tenet Partners to turn that leadership into market advantage, through a comprehensive sustainability-driven product brand framework and award-winning visual design system.
Going deep on impact establishes credibility
The practice of “greenwashing”—making sustainability claims without backing them up—has done more harm than good for many industrial brands. Dow knew it had to do more than put a sustainability spin on its existing portfolio. The company had to demonstrate impact: how its products contribute to sustainability for its customers and in turn, their customers.
Brand expression that looks to the future
Dow needed to telegraph its future direction, but there was an inherent tension: not all Dow products can be thought of as sustainable, and those that are don’t stand out. The solution was to give Dow’s sustainable brands a distinct identity, with a “Sustainability Science”-focused product brand architecture driven by key impact attributes such as carbon reduction and reduced resource use.
Giving Dow’s sustainability brands a life of their own
The new sustainability brands had to both fit within and complement the overall Dow brand: to be unmistakably “Dow” while having their own unique identity. Tenet designers solved the challenge by focusing on easily recognizable elements already present in Dow’s brand expression, such as color and shapes—creating a visual system-within-a-system that left the overall brand identity untouched.
More than sustainable products—a sustainable direction
By thoughtfully crafting a cohesive sustainability brand framework and bringing it to life while complementing the master Dow brand, the enterprise has the tools it needs to carry its focus on Sustainability Science into the future, without interfering with the core business.
Tenet’s visual system work for Dow won Bronze in the 2023 Transform Awards, for best visual design in Dow’s sector—a reflection of well-crafted brand strategy made tangible.
