ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INROADS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DOW | 2021 ESG REPORT | 32 Developing Safer Materials OUR APPROACH With a portfolio of more than 14,000 products that support more than 10,000 customers, we know that how we make, distribute and enable the use and disposal of our products can have a meaningful positive impact on people and the environment. Our Safer Materials vision is a future where every new material we bring to market is sustainable for people and the planet. OUR ACTIONS In 2021, we: • Created a Product Safety blueprint  to demonstrate the value of chemistry and materials science to society and outline our approach to developing products that are safe for their intended use. • Received recognition for new innovations with an improved health and environmental safety profile. • Advanced our corporate roadmap on Safer Materials by developing an internal definition of safer materials and outlining enterprise actions for continuous improvement. • Proactively conducted more than 50 business risk reviews, taking new products, new raw materials, and new applications through a comprehensive assessment of all risks associated with the new opportunity, and identifying and implementing appropriate risk management measures. ADVANCING OUR SAFER MATERIALS ROADMAP In 2021, we began building the enterprise roadmap for Safer Materials that will include tools, portfolio assessments, corporate policies and organizational alignment for employees. In addition, we defined what a safer material means to our company. (See below.) DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS In 2021, Dow received two prestigious R&D 100 Awards, including an award for Multi-functional Sorbent Technology (MUST), a game-changing solution that removes heavy metals from aqueous and nonaqueous sources. Developed in collaboration with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the U.S. Department of Energy, the versatile chemisorbent technology makes it a highly effective sorbent to clean contaminated waterways and remove metals from electronic and pharmaceutical production processes. We believe a safer material is one with a more favorable health and environmental profile over its intended life cycle(s) as compared to the incumbent solution. We believe that creating safer materials is a continuous journey and is possible through innovation, design and more predictive, enabling technologies. Our innovations must meet the needs of our customers and society, and we commit to continue to evolve our approach to safer materials in line with these expectations. New Blueprint for Product Safety Ever wondered how Dow brings new innovations to the marketplace and what steps the company takes to ensure a new product is safe? In 2021, we launched a Product Safety blueprint to demonstrate to the public how Dow brings materials safely to the market through innovation and collaboration. In addition to links to published studies and other content, the blueprint page also includes a link to “The Product Safety Story: The Birth of a Molecule  .” This short animation illustrates the many ways a new molecule must undergo safety and performance testing and assessments before it continues in Dow’s R&D process. SAFER MATERIALS Using Digital Solutions to Predict Product Safety When innovating new products, Dow uses the power of data to bring product safety early into the design process. Dow is an industry leader in developing hazard assessment tools and demonstrating how they can be applied to make safety decisions on new molecules. Our Predictive Toxicology group applies computer modeling, cell-based (in vitro) systems, or exposure- and risk-based evaluations to advance predictive safety assessments and ensure new products are safe throughout their life cycles. What Is a Safer Material?