DuPont Announces Substantial Progress on PFAS Commitments

Key milestones achieved in operational improvements, research grants and access to technology

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Jun 11, 2020, 09:00 ET

WILMINGTON, Del., June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont today announced it has achieved several milestones in fulfilling its commitments introduced in August 2019 related to per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These actions advance the company's plans to achieve its 2030 Sustainability Goals to make the world safer, healthier and more sustainable.

"We're pleased to have made this progress in delivering on our promises related to PFAS chemicals as we strive to live our core values of sustainability and environmental stewardship," said Alexa Dembek, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer, DuPont. "We look forward to sharing further updates as we continue our progress on these commitments and our broader 2030 sustainability goals."

To date, DuPont has achieved the following milestones:

Eliminated the use of long-chain PFAS from our products and processes, including recently integrated operations, by the end of 2019.
Eliminated the purchase and storage of PFAS-based firefighting foams at many of our sites and are on track to eliminate all PFAS-based firefighting foams at our sites by the end of 2021(where legally allowed).
Conducting ongoing remediation at DuPont sites that have a historic PFAS footprint.
Providing $6 million of unrestricted research funding over the next 3 years to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund innovative PFAS remediation technologies. The NSF recently requested proposals for novel PFAS research as part of this initiative. www.nsf.gov/pubs/2020/nsf20090/nsf20090.jsp
Providing open-source access to technical guidance documents on how to use DuPont and other manufacturers resin technologies for PFAS remediation. www.dupont.com/pfas/remediation-technology-sharing.html
Enabled access to DuPont's proprietary product stewardship software to organizations including the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, Beyond Benign, Rutgers and others. To make this software broadly accessible to others seeking to guide assessment of chemical alternatives in their operations, we intend to launch the Chemical Awareness Toolkit at the ACS 24^th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference on June 15 – 19, 2020.
Engaging with ERM, an accredited third-party expert and leading global provider of EHS and sustainability related services, to review our management of substances of current and emerging concern to further improve our processes and protocols.

For more information on our actions and to review the full PFAS commitments, please visit us at www.dupont.com/pfas and follow us on Twitter @DuPont_news.

About DuPont
DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food, and worker safety. More information can be found at www.dupont.com/.

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This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "see," "will," "would," "target," and similar expressions and variations or negatives of these words.

On April 1, 2019, the company completed the separation of its materials science business into a separate and independent public company by way of a pro rata dividend-in-kind of all the then outstanding stock of Dow Inc. (the "Dow Distribution"). The company completed the separation of its agriculture business into a separate and independent public company on June 1, 2019, by way of a pro rata dividend-in-kind of all the then outstanding stock of Corteva, Inc. (the "Corteva Distribution").

On December 15, 2019, DuPont and IFF announced they had entered definitive agreements to combine DuPont's Nutrition & Biosciences business with IFF in a transaction that would result in IFF issuing shares to DuPont shareholders, pending customary closing conditions, other approvals including regulatory and that of IFF's shareholders.

Forward-looking statements address matters that are, to varying degrees, uncertain and subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which that are beyond DuPont's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results. Some of the important factors that could cause DuPont's actual results to differ materially from those projected in any such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) the parties' ability to meet expectations regarding the timing, completion and accounting and tax treatments of the proposed transaction with IFF; changes in relevant tax and other laws, (ii) failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, approval of IFF's shareholders, anticipated tax treatment or any required financing or to satisfy any of the other conditions to the proposed transaction with IFF, (iii) the possibility that unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies that could impact the value, timing or pursuit of the proposed transaction with IFF, (iv) risks and costs and pursuit and/or implementation of the separation of the N&B Business, including timing anticipated to complete the separation, any changes to the configuration of businesses included in the separation if implemented, (v) risks and costs related to the Dow Distribution and the Corteva Distribution (together, the "Distributions") including (a) with respect to achieving all expected benefits from the Distributions; (b) the incurrence of significant costs in connection with the Distributions, including costs to service debt incurred by the Company to establish the relative credit profiles of Corteva, Dow and DuPont and increased costs related to supply, service and other arrangements that, prior to the Dow Distribution, were between entities under the common control of DuPont; (c) indemnification of certain legacy liabilities of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("Historical EID") in connection with the Corteva Distribution; and (d) potential liability arising from fraudulent conveyance and similar laws in connection with the Distributions; (vi) failure to effectively manage acquisitions, divestitures, alliances, joint ventures and other portfolio changes, including meeting conditions under the Letter Agreement entered in connection with the Corteva Distribution, related to the transfer of certain levels of assets and businesses; (vii) uncertainty as to the long-term value of DuPont common stock; (viii) potential inability or reduced access to the capital markets or increased cost of borrowings, including as a result of a credit rating downgrade (ix) risks and uncertainties related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the responses thereto (such as voluntary and in some cases, mandatory quarantines as well as shut downs and other restrictions on travel and commercial, social and other activities) on DuPont's business, results of operations, access to sources of liquidity and financial condition which depend on highly uncertain and unpredictable future developments, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions resume. and (x) other risks to DuPont's business, operations and results of operations including from: failure to develop and market new products and optimally manage product life cycles; ability, cost and impact on business operations, including the supply chain, of responding to changes in market acceptance, rules, regulations and policies and failure to respond to such changes; outcome of significant litigation, environmental matters and other commitments and contingencies; failure to appropriately manage process safety and product stewardship issues; global economic and capital market conditions, including the continued availability of capital and financing, as well as inflation, interest and currency exchange rates; changes in political conditions, including tariffs, trade disputes and retaliatory actions; impairment of goodwill or intangible assets; the availability of and fluctuations in the cost of energy and raw materials; business or supply disruption, including in connection with the Distributions; ability to effectively manage costs as the company's portfolio evolves; security threats, such as acts of sabotage, terrorism or war, global health concerns and pandemics, natural disasters and weather events and patterns which could or could continue to result in a significant operational event for DuPont, adversely impact demand or production; ability to discover, develop and protect new technologies and to protect and enforce DuPont's intellectual property rights; unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not limited to, acts of terrorism or outbreak of war or hostilities, as well as management's response to any of the aforementioned factors. These risks are and will be more fully discussed in DuPont's current, quarterly and annual reports and other filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in each case, as may be amended from time to time in future filings with the SEC. While the list of factors presented here is considered representative, no such list should be considered a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on DuPont's consolidated financial condition, results of operations, credit rating or liquidity. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. DuPont assumes no obligation to publicly provide revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws. A detailed discussion of some of the significant risks and uncertainties which may cause results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is included in the section titled "Risk Factors" (Part I, Item 1A) of DuPont's 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K, Item 8.01 of DuPont's current report on Form 8-K filed on April 20, 2020 and as updated by DuPont's subsequent periodic and current reports filed with the SEC.

6/11/20
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SOURCE DuPont