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Questioning Dow CEO Andrew Liveris

On March 3, 2007, several Tufts students and members of the Boston Coalition for Justice in Bhopal confronted Dow CEO Andrew Liveris at a panel discussion about corporate responsibility. The panel, part of the 2007 Norris and Margery Bendetson EPIIC International Symposium entitled "Global Crises: Governance and Intervention," featured seven speakers, including Liveris, who not only serves as Dow’s CEO but was recently named a Tufts Trustee.

In preparation for the event, supporters heavily chalked the sidewalks leading to the auditorium with body outlines and slogans, and an art exhibit featuring works highly critical of Dow was displayed in the middle of the conference venue throughout the conference.

Bridget recounts the event:

The security was terribly tight, with a private security company (referred to by the organizers as "secret service") manning the walls. Some students behind me in the coat check (no coats or bags allowed) were asking each other what the fuss was over, they said they had seen heads of state come to Tufts and they hadn't gotten anything like this type of security. The other student said that it was something that Dow had requested because there were apparently people unhappy with Dow. Apparently.

The event was a panel of different mostly corporate types - representing Citigroup, Dow, and JP Morgan among others. Among all of these, however, Dow got pride of place. An alumnus, Mr. Puth, was given an award, and then immediately afterwards Andrew Liveris was the first speaker.

All the way up until he started speaking Liveris looked anxiously about the packed room, his eyes darting right and left, as if trying to spot an assassin. The man was scared. However, once he got up to the podium everything changed. Although he does have an uncanny physical resemblance to Saddam Hussein, unlike the former dictator he clearly has his job because of his eloquence. I think that we can perhaps congratulate ourselves that Dow has stooped to hiring, rather than the best manager for the job, a type A PR shark for their CEO. The man is just one long forked tongue, and he is damn good at what he does. Unlike the other CEOs at the event, all of whom were certainly culpable in their own ways (but he made them look like angels), Andrew Liveris was the only man there for the explicit purpose of selling something to the audience. It was a polished, grotesque, phantasmagorical performance, that he apparently trots around giving to campuses each week (next stop: Cornell!).

He began with a nostalgic account of his youth. He's from Austraaalia! He had long hair in the 70's! He was immersed in the idea of that era! He too, worried about communism and capitalism (back in the day)! But look, now Vietnam is a growth opportunity! Fantastic. He was once head of all Asia organization for Dow, and as a result he knows the difference between different Chinese dialects and is thus cosmopolitan. Etc, Etc. But the main themes were diversity, optimism and Blue Run -- clean water for everyone but the Bhopalis. The main question, he said, was

"What is the right way to approach our responsibilities around the world? Our community is the global community itself."

He expressed regret for the activities of Dow during the Vietnam war, not because Napalm had tortured so many people, but because the unfortunate necessity of partnering with the US for the war effort had sullied the reputation of Dow -- tragically after that episode they were no longer known for saran wrap, but instead for war. Poor Dow. Things got complicated with the environmental movement in the 1970's, not because their products were killing people, but because they "had not educated the public about the value that Dow's products provide to Humanity". Ahh...a PR lesson they would not soon forget. But they made lemonade, turning bad press into public dialogue. The solution, straight from the hopes and dreams of the people, was Responsible Care. Now the Chemical industry is the safest of all industries. According to Liveris, you are more likely to be killed by a shopping cart in a big box store than in a chemical factory.

"How do we promote responsible economic development in the Chemical Industry? How do we avoid a repeat of Enron?" he asked earnestly, as though Dow were famous for financial scandals.

The key, he said, was the triple bottom line "profit, social responsibility, environment". The "path to sustainable long term success is not about what you should do, but about what you must do." (Later, when a student got up and asked if Dow had ever considered doing anything just because 'it was the right thing to do' the organizer of the event dismissed the question and asked that the audience "refrain from sarcasm").

Liveris warned that "negative responses can kill your business. Trust disappears, business disappears." So, Dow, for over a hundred years, has clung to its "small town Midland Michigan values of helping others" to improve health and to create value for all stakeholders.

The Human Element Campaign, he noted, was all about "the power to understand and meet the needs of people and the world, by engaging to improve quality of life for people who cannot meet their needs." The whole idea, he said, was to set standards that "exceed the government standards in other countries" and setting their 2015 sustainability goals, which are aligned with the millennium goals.

He proceeded into a compendium of Dow's philanthropic accomplishments, in particular on water scarcity, safety and accessibility with Blue Planet Run. Dow, he said "can't solve the water problem alone, but we can all be a part of the solution." He encouraged the audience to "join, and become more proactive."

In a final rousing note he said that "we can all collectively rise for the good of people who do not have what we have" and noted that "corporations can indeed be both better citizens and better companies - we need to do both."

There was great applause. It was quite a performance. He's a very talented public speaker.

The question & answer session went like this:

Aquene: I'm from the Midwest so I appreciate your comments about our honesty etc.
I have been to Bhopal and the drinking water there for 20,000 people is toxic - it burns your mouth and makes your skin itch and it was polluted by a subsidiary of your company. Before you go cleaning up the world's water, please take care of your own responsibilities first.

My question is: Dursban was banned in the US for home use because it maimed a dozen children and in at least one case killed a child, Dow was even fined $2 million dollars for lying about the safety of your product on the labels, why is Dow continuing to sell Dursban to the developing world?

Liveris: I am sorry but you have to get your facts straight. Go to New Delhi and talk to the Indian government. That case was settled long ago by Union Carbide with the Indian government for $470 million dollars which is still sitting in escrow [not true]. It is the responsibility of the Indian government to clean up in Bhopal not Dow [only if you think that corporations should not be held liable for their messes].

On the question of Dursban we do not sell it for home use in India, Dow is a good company and we wouldn't do that.

Bridget: With all due respect, the case of water pollution in Bhopal is a totally separate case than the disaster settlement and Dow has been served with a summons to appear in Indian court regarding the clean up. My question is if Dow is really concerned about our safety, then why does Dow continue to put chlorine rail tanker cars on the railways that the US Navy has said could kill upwards of 100,000 people if they were to crash, and has opposed safer substitution legislation for the past 4 years via the American Chemistry Council, of which Dow is a prominent member, that might substitute for chlorine with something much safer like hydrogen peroxide.

Liveris: [ignored the issue about the ongoing clean up case in India in which Dow India already appeared and pointed out that it was Dow USA that owns Union Carbide] Dow is working with the department of Homeland Security on a far more durable chlorine tanker rail car that will be many times safer than what we have today. I encourage you to go to the Dow website and look the plans up for this rail car. And if you are really interested in all this chemistry stuff, study chemistry come join Dow Chemical, we'll show you what an ethical company we are.

Sabina: Thank you so much to all the panelists for coming here I think this dialogue has been very enlightening. I am very interested in how we can better dialogue with corporations and this panel has provided such an opportunity. I am aware that a long time ago Dow actually sued peaceful protesters for $10,000 dollars and I am wondering how should we seek to dialogue with corporations?

Liveris: I am so glad you asked that. I have been traveling around the country to 1-2 colleges a month and talking with students like yourself. I was just at the University of Indiana at Bloomington and next month I am going to Cornell. etc. [don't recall the rest]

Mr. Puth also said something about how corporations today are engaging with almost every kind of stakeholder imaginable [certainly not true in the case of Dow, the company hasn't contacted the survivors except with the legal charges for loss of work to the Bhopali women who traveled the 14 hours by train to Mumbai to tell Dow they need a clean up and medical care]

After the talk I brought a small bottle of Bhopal water to give to Mr. Liveris which he said to give to one of his many staff/body guards who took it only reluctantly. He then quickly left.

Bridget notes: There was a great question about socially responsible investing at Tufts. Liveris is on both sides of the coin now, as a trustee and CEO of Dow. While Ms. Lubber responded that socially responsible investing and transparency were great, Liveris went into an exhortation of how you have to have your facts straight and do your research before you do anything like that... to which the awesome student replied "OH, don't worry, I have..." and then ended as he often did - by saying, come work for us and then you'll understand!

The student said "thanks for your answer. But you know, I thought I trapped you."

Also he went on at some point about how because of Blue River Run, there are women in Bangladesh who are no longer sick from the water, now that they have been educated about PVC tubing and sanitation...

Also his specific response to author and Tufts Writer in Residence, Sanjoy Hazarika, saying that he had been there and seen people die in 1984 was to say, "I saw your presentation on Dolphins and contamination... We can help! We can help!"

Media from the event:
- An article in the Tufts Daily
- An op-ed in the Tufts Daily

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Halloween: Dow is Death

On Halloween, October 31st, 2005, Sherry, Aquene, and Neeraj reached more than 500 people with fliers taped with chocolate gold coins telling the Bhopal story and that ‘Dow profits from Death’. Sherry gathered nearly a full page of signatures for the “Don’t Work for Dirty Dow Pledge.” We also traced our body outlines in chalk on the pavement at Tufts and wrote some of the names of the victims to remind passerby’s of the individual losses. Students responded well to the Dow Grim Reaper Costume.

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Documentary Screening and Discussion

On December 6th, 2004, the Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia organized a public screening of Bhopal: The Search for Justice at Tufts University, followed by a discussion about the campaign for justice and how to contribute.

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Discussion With Gary Cohen

On March 15, 2005, Gary Cohen, the Executive Director of the Boston-based Environmental Health Fund and a longtime leader of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, spoke to a class at Tufts about the Bhopal disaster, the international campaign for justice, the recent progress made in the campaign, and the ways in which students can support the campaign and get involved.

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Foiling Dow Recruiting

On November 14th, 2005, Boston Coalition for Bhopal members Sherry, Neeraj, Aditiya, and Aquene crashed a Dow recruiting session at Tufts. Aquene openly walked into the recruitment session before it began, introducing herself and the campaign for Justice in Bhopal and explaining that she wanted to make sure that people had full information about Dow Chemical. She handed out newsletters on Bhopal and factsheets to all attendees, which many received as if they were Dow handouts for part of the session. Aditya followed up with additional literature and got to later arrivals. After the session began Sherry and Neeraj raised questions about Bhopal, Vietnam and Dioxin in Michigan, making the Dow NY Sales executive Joel Jones visibly uncomfortable. At least one event attendee had first heard of Bhopal through earlier events organized by Neeraj and Coalition members.

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Screening and Panel Discussion

On October 20, 2005, the Environment and Sustainability Initiative hosted a screening of Litigating Disaster and panel discussion with Bhopal activists Somnath Mukherji of AID Boston and Aquene Freechild of Environmental Health Fund. An audience of about 25 participated and a lively panel discussion on the issues of corporate accountability and the government of India’s role in the disaster followed. A video clip on Diane Wilson’s struggle to hold Dow accountable for Bhopal was also shown.

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