The Bhopal legacy represents a major concern for stockholders of the newly merged DowDuPont Co, who last month submitted three separate and entirely new shareholder resolutions seeking transparency on Bhopal. Filed for inclusion upon the ballot of the company’s inaugural AGM in spring 2018, the resolutions challenge management on non-disclosure of legal risks from pending Bhopal liabilities and request that management provide objective metrics and analysis describing the legal and reputational impacts of Bhopal upon investment in India, whose chemical sector is predicted to be worth $403 billion by 2025.
Since 2004, investors have been drawing attention to omissions and misrepresentations, concerning potential liabilities related to the 1984 Bhopal Disaster and the ongoing contamination legacy, within submissions presented by Dow Chemical to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
As recently as November 2014 a shareholder resolution filed by Calvert Investments, a recognized leader in responsible investing, focused on the role of Dow CEO Andrew Liveris in presiding over the negative outcome of Dow’s policy concerning Bhopal.
DowDuPont: A Contamination Legacy
