Need Sustainability Advice? This Company Has Used External Experts for 30 Years

Originally published by GreenBiz

External advisory groups for sustainable business practices are still relatively rare. Dow's Sustainability External Advisory Council, or SEAC, was a first in the petrochemical industry.

Needless to say, most corporations weren’t engaging seriously on environmental issues in 1992, let alone asking independent advisers to guide their decisions around them. The Sustainability External Advisory Council — or SEAC, as it’s now known (originally, the Corporate Environmental Advisory Council) — was a first in the petrochemical industry. While internal sustainability councils and executive boards are now common, external advisory groups are still a relative rarity. Another example is Trane Technologies’ Advisory Council on Sustainability.

Today, Dow’s SEAC has seven members plus chair Andre Argenton, the company’s vice president of environment, health and safety, and chief sustainability officer — a longtime leader at Dow who has just completed his first year in the role.

I spoke with Argenton to find out the secret to the advisory council’s longevity. He paints a compelling portrait of a council valuable enough to Dow that it’s lasted 30 years — and could last 30 more.

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