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{{About|E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company|other uses|Dupont (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox company
| company_name = E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
| company_logo = [[File:DuPont.svg|190px]]
| company_type = Public
| traded_as = {{New York Stock Exchange|DD}}, {{NyseSymbol|DDPRB}}, {{NyseSymbol|DDPRA}}<br />[[Dow Jones Industrial Average|Dow Jones Component]]<br />[[S&P 500|S&P 500 Component]]
| foundation = 1802
| founder = [[Eleuthère Irénée du Pont]]
| location = [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]], Delaware, U.S.
| key_people = [[Ellen J. Kullman|Ellen Kullman]]<br />(Chairman, President & CEO)
| industry = [[Chemical industry|Chemicals]]
| products =
{{Collapsible list
|framestyle=border:none; padding:0;
|title=<small>Products list</small>
|1=<li>[[Corian]]
|2=<li>[[Delrin]]
|3=<li>[[Kevlar]]
|4=<li>[[Mylar]]
|5=<li>[[Nafion]]
|6=<li>[[Neoprene]]
|7=<li>[[Nomex]]
|8=<li>[[Nylon|Nylon resins]]
|9=<li>[[Polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]]
|10=<li>[[Tyvek]]
}}
| revenue = {{nowrap|{{increase}} US$ 32.733&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10K>{{cite web|url=http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/30554/000104746911000602/a2201761z10-k.htm|title=2010 Form 10-K, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company|publisher=United States Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>}}
| operating_income = {{increase}} US$ 3.711&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10K/>
| net_income = {{increase}} US$ 3.042&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10K/>
| assets = {{increase}} US$ 40.410&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10K/>
| equity = {{increase}} US$ 9.743&nbsp;billion <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10K/>
| num_employees = 60,000 <small>(2010)</small><ref name=10K/>
| homepage = [http://www.dupont.com/ DuPont.com]
}}

'''E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company''' ({{New York Stock Exchange|DD}}, {{NyseSymbol|DDPRB}}, {{NyseSymbol|DDPRA}}), commonly referred to as '''DuPont''', is an American [[chemical industry|chemical company]] that was founded in July 1802 as a [[gunpowder]] mill by [[Eleuthère Irénée du Pont]]. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on [[market capitalization]] and ninth based on revenue in 2009. Its stock price is a component of the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]].

In the 20th century, DuPont developed many [[polymer]]s such as [[Vespel]], [[neoprene]], [[nylon]], [[Corian]], [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]], [[Mylar]], [[Kevlar]], Zemdrain, [[M5 fiber]], [[Nomex]], [[Tyvek]], [[Sorona]] and [[Lycra]]. DuPont developed [[haloalkane|Freon]] ([[chlorofluorocarbon]]s) for the [[refrigerant]] industry and later, more [[environmentally friendly]] refrigerants. It developed synthetic pigments and paints including [[ChromaFlair]].

DuPont's trademarked brands often become [[Genericized trademark|genericized]]. For instance, “neoprene” was originally intended to be a trademark, but quickly came into common usage.

==History==
[[File:Hagley DuPont Wagon.jpg|thumb|Original DuPont powder wagon]]

=== Establishment, 1802 ===
DuPont was founded in 1802 by [[Eleuthère Irénée du Pont]], using capital raised in France and gunpowder machinery imported from France. The company was started at the [[Eleutherian Mills]], on the [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]], near [[Wilmington, Delaware]], USA two years after he and his family left France to escape the [[French Revolution]]. It began as a manufacturer of gunpowder, as du Pont had noticed that the industry in North America was lagging behind Europe and saw a market for it. The company grew quickly, and by the mid 19th century had become the largest supplier of gunpowder to the [[United States military]], supplying as much as half of the powder used by the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]]. (The [[Eleutherian Mills]] site was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1966 and is now a museum covering this history that may be visited today.)

=== Expansion, 1902 to 1912 ===
[[File:1905DuPontGunpowderMill.jpg|thumb|Working powder mills on [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]], about 1905. Note the handwritten "These blow up occasionally, and then?"]]
DuPont continued to expand, moving into the production of [[dynamite]] and [[smokeless powder]]. In 1902, DuPont's president, [[Eugene du Pont]], died, and the surviving partners sold the company to three great-grandsons of the original founder. The company subsequently purchased several smaller chemical companies, and in 1912 these actions gave rise to government scrutiny under the [[Sherman Antitrust Act]]. The courts declared that the company's dominance of the explosives business constituted a monopoly and ordered [[divestment]]. The court ruling resulted in the creation of the Hercules Powder Company (now [[Hercules Inc.]]) and the Atlas Powder Company (purchased by [[Imperial Chemical Industries]] (ICI) and now part of [[AstraZeneca]]).<ref>{{Cite journal
| title = The DuPont Company
| publisher=[[Delaware Historical Society]]
| url = http://www.hsd.org/DHE/DHE_what_industry_DuPont.htm
| accessdate =March 29, 2006}}</ref> At the time of divestment, DuPont retained the single base [[nitrocellulose]] powders, while Hercules held the double base powders combining nitrocellulose and [[nitroglycerine]]. DuPont subsequently developed the [[Improved Military Rifle (IMR)]] line of [[smokeless powder]]s.<ref>Davis, William C., Jr. ''Handloading'' (1981) National Rifle Association ISBN=0-935998-34-9 pp.31–33</ref>

DuPont also established two of the first industrial laboratories in the United States, where they began the work on [[cellulose]] chemistry, [[lacquer]]s and other non-explosive products. [[DuPont Central Research]] was established at the [[DuPont Experimental Station]], across the [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]] from the original powder mills.

=== Automotive investments, 1914 ===
In 1914, [[Pierre S. du Pont]] invested in the fledgling automobile industry, buying stock of [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] (GM). The following year he was invited to sit on GM's board of directors and would eventually be appointed the company's chairman. The DuPont company would assist the struggling automobile company further with a $25&nbsp;million purchase of GM stock. In 1920, Pierre S. du Pont was elected president of General Motors. Under du Pont's guidance, GM became the number one automobile company in the world. However, in 1957, because of DuPont's influence within GM, further action under the [[Clayton Antitrust Act]] forced DuPont to divest itself of its shares of General Motors.

=== Major breakthroughs, 1920 ===
In the 1920s DuPont continued its emphasis on [[materials science]], hiring [[Wallace Carothers]] to work on [[polymers]] in 1928. Carothers discovered [[neoprene]], the first [[synthetic rubber]], the first [[polyester]] superpolymer and in 1935, nylon. The discovery of [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]] followed a few years later. 1935 was also the year that DuPont first introduced the chemical [[phenothiazine]] as an [[insecticide]].

=== Second World War, 1941 to 1945 ===

Throughout this period, the company continued to be a major producer of war supplies. As the inventor and manufacturer of nylon, DuPont helped produce the raw materials for [[parachute]]s, powder bags,<ref>[http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u7sf/u7materials/act4_6.html "Hosiery Woes"]
''Business Week'', February 7, 1942, pp. 40–43</ref> and [[tire]]s.<ref>[http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u7sf/u7images/act4/tires.html "Nylon in Tires"], ''Scientific American'', August 1943, p 78</ref> DuPont also played a major role in the [[Manhattan Project]] in 1943, designing, building and operating the [[Hanford Site|Hanford]] [[plutonium]] producing plant and the [[Savannah River Plant]] in [[South Carolina]].

=== Space Age developments, 1950 to 1970 ===
After the war, DuPont continued its emphasis on new materials, developing [[Mylar]], [[Dacron]], [[Orlon]] and [[Lycra]] in the 1950s, and [[Tyvek]], [[Nomex]], [[Qiana]], [[Corfam]] and [[Corian]] in the 1960s. DuPont materials were critical to the success of the [[Apollo program|Apollo Project of the United States space program]].

DuPont has been the key company behind the development of modern [[body armour|body armor]]. In the [[Second World War]] DuPont's ballistic nylon was used by Britain's [[Royal Air Force]] to make [[Flak jacket]]s. With the development of [[Kevlar]] in the 1960s, DuPont began tests to see if it could resist a lead bullet. This research would ultimately lead to the [[Ballistic vest|bullet resistant vests]] that are the mainstay of police and military units in the industrialized world.

=== Conoco holdings, 1981 to 1995 ===
In 1981, DuPont acquired [[Conoco Inc.]], a major American oil and gas producing company that gave it a secure source of petroleum feedstocks needed for the manufacturing of many of its fiber and plastics products. The acquisition, which made DuPont one of the top ten U.S.-based petroleum and natural gas producers and refiners, came about after a bidding war with the giant [[Distilled beverage|distillery]] [[Seagram|Seagram Company Ltd.]], which would become DuPont's largest single shareholder with four seats on the board of directors. On April 6, 1995, after being approached by Seagram Chief Executive Officer [[Edgar Bronfman, Jr.]], DuPont announced a deal whereby the company would buy back all the shares owned by Seagram.

==== Divestiture, 1999 ====
In 1999, DuPont sold all of its shares of Conoco, which merged with [[Phillips Petroleum Company]].

==Current activities==
{|class="wikitable" style="float: right;text-align: right; width: 125px"
|+Pre-tax U.S. Profit by Year, in {{currency|Millions}}<ref name=Starkey20110613>{{cite news|last=Starkey|first=Jonathan|title=DuPont pays no tax on $3B profit, and it's legal|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110612/NEWS02/306120010/-1/NLETTER01/DuPont-pays-no-tax-on--3B-profit--and-it-s-legal?source=nletter-news|accessdate=June 13, 2011|newspaper=The News Journal|date=June 12, 2011|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5zOsjuvA5|archivedate=June 13, 2011|location=New Castle, Delaware}}</ref>
|2010||949
|-
|2009||171
|-
|2008||992
|-
|2007||1,652
|-
|2006||1,947
|-
|2005||2,795
|-
|2004||−714
|-
|2003||−428
|-
|2002||1,227
|-
|2001||6,131
|}
DuPont describes itself as a global science company that employs more than 60,000 people worldwide and has a diverse array of product offerings.<ref>[http://www2.dupont.com/Our_Company/en_US/glance/index.html DuPont–Company at a Glance]. Retrieved on March 29, 2006</ref> In 2005, the Company ranked 66th in the Fortune 500 on the strength of nearly $28&nbsp;billion in revenues and $1.8&nbsp;billion in profits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500_archive/full/2005/ |title=Fortune 500: 1955–2005. |publisher=CNN |accessdate=2011-09-19}}</ref>

DuPont businesses are organized into the following five categories, known as marketing "platforms": Electronic and Communication Technologies, Performance Materials, Coatings and Color Technologies, Safety and Protection, and Agriculture and Nutrition.

In 2004 the company sold its textiles business, which included some of its best-known brands such as [[Lycra]] ([[Spandex]]), [[Dacron]] polyester, [[Orlon]] acrylic, [[Antron]] nylon and [[Thermolite]], to [[Koch Industries]]. DuPont also manufactures [[Surlyn]], which is used for the covers of golf balls, and, more recently, the body panels of the Club Car Precedent golf cart.

As of 2011, DuPont is the largest producer of [[titanium dioxide]] in the world, primarily provided as a white pigment used in the [[paper industry]].<ref>{{cite news |title=DuPont quarterly profit up 27% |accessdate=April 22, 2011 |date=April 21, 2011
|author=Jonathan Starkey |newspaper=News Journal |publisher=Gannett |location=Wilmington, Delaware |at=Business
|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110422/BUSINESS/104220333/-1/NLETTER01/DuPont-quarterly-profit-up-27-?source=nletter-news
|quote=DuPont, the world's largest producer of titanium dioxide, produces the pigment at the Edge Moor manufacturing facility, primarily for the paper industry. }}</ref>

DuPont has its R&D facilities located in China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Germany and Switzerland with an average investment of $1.3&nbsp;billion annually in a diverse range of technologies for many markets including agriculture, genetic traits, biofuels, automotive, construction, electronics, chemicals and industrial materials. DuPont employs more than 5,000 scientists and engineers around the world.<ref>[http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/en_IN/daily_news/2008/article20081121.html DuPont Knowledge Center in Hyderabad, India, Opens today]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref>

On January 9, 2011, DuPont announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to buy Danish company [[Danisco]] for US$6.3&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dupont-to-acquire-danisco-for-63-billion-113179854.html
|title=DuPont to Acquire Danisco for $6.3&nbsp;billion – WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –
|work=prnewswire.com |accessdate=January 9, 2011 }}</ref> On May 16, 2011, DuPont announced that its tender offer for Danisco had been successful and that it would proceed to redeem the remaining shares and delist the company.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/news/DuPont-Successfully-Completes-prnews-3964253982.html?x=0&.v=1
|title=DuPont Successfully Completes Tender Offer for Danisco – Yahoo! Finance
|publisher=finance.yahoo.com
|accessdate=May 16, 2011
}}
</ref>

==Locations==

The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Wilmington, Delaware. The company’s manufacturing, processing, marketing and research and development facilities, as well as regional purchasing offices and distribution centers are located throughout the world.<ref name=2009_sec_filing>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/30554/000089322009000276/w72619e10vk.htm|title=2009 SEC 10-K|accessdate=February 12, 2008}}</ref> Major manufacturing sites include the Spruance plant near [[Richmond, Virginia]] (currently the company's largest plant), the Mobile Manufacturing Center(MMC) in Axis, Alabama, the [[Bayport Industrial District|Bayport]] plant near [[Houston, Texas]], the [[Mechelen, Belgium|Mechelen]] site in [[Belgium]], and the [[Changshu]] site in China.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www2.dupont.com/Spruance/en_US/about.html | title=Spruance Site: About Our Plant | publisher=Dupont | accessdate=Jan 16, 2010}}<br />{{cite web | url=http://www.cefic.be/Files/Downloads/DuPont_Belgium.pdf | title=2008 Dupont: CEFIC European Responsible Care Award 2008: Application Form | publisher=European Chemical Industry Council | accessdate=Jan 16, 2010}}<br />{{cite web | url=http://www.analist.be/reports/du_pont-2008.pdf | title=United States Securities and Exchange Commission: Form 10-K | year=2008 | pages=10–11 | publisher=Analist.nl Nederland/Hoofdkantoor | accessdate=Jan 16, 2010}}</ref> Other locations include the Yerkes Plant on the [[Niagara River]] at [[Tonawanda, New York]], and the Sabine River Works Plant in [[Orange, Texas]].

==Corporate governance==
===Current board of directors===
* [[Ellen J. Kullman]] – President, Chair and CEO
* [[Samuel Bodman]]
* [[Richard H. Brown]]
* [[Robert A. Brown]]
* [[Bertrand P. Collomb]]
* [[Curtis J. Crawford]]
* [[Alexander M. Cutler]]
* [[John T. Dillon]]
* [[There du Pont]]
* [[Marillyn Hewson]]
* [[Lois Juliber|Lois D. Juliber]]
* [[William K. Reilly]]

The board of directors elected Ellen J. Kullman president and a director of the company with effect from October 1, 2008, Chief Executive Officer with effect from January 1, 2009,<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=73320&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1199778&highlight=
|title=DuPont: Investor Center – News Release
|publisher=phx.corporate-ir.net
|accessdate=September 23, 2008
}}
</ref> and Chairman effective December 31, 2009.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dupont-names-ellen-kullman-as-chair-2009-10-30-95560
|title=DuPont names Ellen Kullman as chair – MarketWatch
|publisher=www.marketwatch.com
|accessdate=November 6, 2009
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duponts-board-of-directors-appoints-ellen-kullman-chair-67562822.html
|title=DuPont's Board of Directors Appoints Ellen Kullman Chair
|publisher=www.prnewswire.com
|accessdate=November 6, 2009
}}
</ref>

==Environmental record==
In 2004, researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute of the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] ranked DuPont as the largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States.<ref>[http://www.peri.umass.edu/Toxic-100-Table.265.0.html Political Economy Research Institute Toxic 100] retrieved Aug 13, 2007</ref> The study found DuPont's most toxic pollution comprised [[chloroprene]] (855,370&nbsp;lb/yr, 387,989&nbsp;kg/yr), [[sulfuric acid]] (804,501&nbsp;lb/yr, 364,916&nbsp;kg/yr), and [[chlorine]] (65,088&nbsp;lb/yr, 29,523&nbsp;kg/yr) based on [[Toxics Release Inventory]] data. The most massive releases came in the form of more than 4 million pounds (1,800 [[metric ton|t]]) of [[carbonyl sulfide]] followed by 2 million pounds (900 t) of [[hydrochloric acid]].<ref>[http://www.rtknet.org/new/tox100/toxic100.php?company1=7862&chemfac=chem&advbasic=bas Toxic 100 company profile]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref>

In 2005, ''[[BusinessWeek]]'' magazine, in conjunction with the [http://theclimategroup.org/index.php/home/ Climate Group], ranked DuPont as the best-practice leader in cutting their carbon gas emissions.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Unknown Author |title=DuPont Tops ''BusinessWeek'' Ranking of Green Companies |journal=GreenBiz News |date=December 6, 2005|url=http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=29319&CFID=7761904&CFTOKEN=10637155}}</ref><ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963178.htm?chan=search Green Leaders Show The Way] Business Week</ref> They pointed out that DuPont reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 65% from the 1990 levels while using 7% less energy and producing 30% more product. May 24, 2007 marked the opening of the US$2.1&nbsp;million DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, a wildlife observatory and interpretive center on the Delaware Bay near [[Milford, Delaware]], USA. DuPont contributed both financial and technological support to create the center, as part of its "Clear into the Future" initiative to enhance the beauty and integrity of the Delaware Estuary. The facility will be state-owned and operated by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).<ref>[http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/DNREC2000/Admin/Press/Story1.asp?PRID=2514 "State’s DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve Opens"]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/en_US/daily_news/article20070524a.html "DuPont Nature Center Dedicated in Delaware"]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref> DuPont is a founding member of the [[World Business Council for Sustainable Development]] with DuPont CEO (at the time) [[Charles O. Holliday|Chad Holliday]] being Chairman of the WBCSD from 2000 to 2001.

==Positive recognition==
DuPont has been awarded the [[National Medal of Technology]] four times: first in 1990, for its invention of "high-performance man-made polymers such as nylon, [[neoprene rubber]], "[[Polytetrafluoroethylene|Teflon]]" fluorocarbon resin, and a wide spectrum of new fibers, films, and engineering plastics"; the second in 2002 "for policy and technology leadership in the phaseout and replacement of [[chlorofluorocarbons]]". Additionally, DuPont scientist [[George Levitt]] was honored with the [[National Medal of Technology|medal]] in 1993 for the development of sulfonylurea herbicides—environmentally friendly herbicides for every major food crop in the world. In 1996, DuPont scientist [[Stephanie Kwolek]] was recognized for the discovery and development of [[Kevlar]].

On the company's 200th anniversary in 2002, it was presented with the [[Honor Award]] by the [[National Building Museum]] in recognition of DuPont's "products that directly influence the construction and design process in the building industry."<ref name="Honor Award">{{cite press release|url=http://www.nbm.org/support-us/awards_honors/honor-award/du-pont.html|title=A Salute to DuPont|publisher=National Building Museum|date=April 11, 2002}}</ref>

==Controversies==
===''Behind the Nylon Curtain''===
{{Refimprove section|date=June 2011}}
In 1974, [[Gerard Colby]] Zilg, wrote ''Du Pont: Behind the Nylon Curtain'', a critical account of the role of the DuPont family in American social, political and economic history. The book was nominated for a [[National Book Award]] in 1974.

A du Pont family member obtained an advance copy of the manuscript and was "predictably outraged". A DuPont official contacted The Fortune Book Club and stated that the book was "scurrilous" and "actionable" but produced no evidence to counter the charges. The Fortune Book Club (a subsidiary of the Book of the Month Club) reversed its decision to distribute Zilg's book. The editor-in-chief of the Book of the Month Club declared that the book was “malicious” and had an “objectionable tone”. Prentice-Hall removed several inaccurate passages from the page proofs of the book, and cut the first printing from 15,000 to 10,000 copies, stating that 5,000 copies no longer were needed for the book club distribution. The proposed advertising budget was reduced from $15,000 to $5,000.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

Zilg sued Prentice-Hall (''Zilg v. Prentice-Hall''), accusing it of reneging on a contract to promote sales.

The Federal District Court ruled that [[Prentice Hall]] had "privished" the book (the company conducting an intentionally inadequate merchandising effort) and breached its obligation to Zilg to use its best efforts in promoting the book because the publisher had no valid business reason for reducing the first printing or the advertising budget. The court also ruled that the DuPont Company had a constitutionally protected interest in discussing its good faith opinion of the merits of Zilg's work with the book clubs and the publisher, and found that the company had not engaged in threats of economic coercion or baseless litigation.

The [[United States Court of Appeals]] for the Second Circuit overturned the damages award in September 1983. The court stated that, while DuPont's actions “surely” resulted in the book club's decision not to distribute Zilg's work and also resulted in a change in Prentice-Hall's previously supportive attitude toward the book, DuPont's conduct was not actionable. The court further stated that the contract did not contain an explicit “best efforts” or “promote fully” promise, much less an agreement to make certain specific promotional efforts. Printing and advertising decisions were within Prentice-Hall's discretion.

Zilg lost a [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] appeal in April 1984.

In 1984 [[Lyle Stuart]] re-released an extended version, ''Du Pont Dynasty: Behind the Nylon Curtain''.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Unknown Author|title=High Court Rebuffs Author|journal=The New York Times |date=April 17, 1984|pages=Section C; Page 16, Column 1}}; {{cite journal |author=Flaherty, Francis J. |title=Authors Fighting for 'Voice in the Process' |journal=The National Law Journal |date=April 2, 1984|page=26 }}; {{cite journal |author=Unknown Author |title=Federal Court of Appeals reverses award of damages to author Gerard Zilg in his breach of contract action against Prentice-Hall; District Court's dismissal of Zilg's action against E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company for tortious interference with contractual relations is affirmed |journal=Entertainment Law Reporter|month=April | year=1984 |volume=5|issue=11}}; {{cite journal |author=Slung, Michele |title="Privish" and Perish|journal=The Washington Post|date=October 9, 1983 |page=15 }}</ref>

===Chlorofluorocarbons===
Along with Thomas Midgley (working under Charles Kettering of [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]]), DuPont was the inventor of CFCs ([[chlorofluorocarbon]]s), and the largest producer of these [[ozone]]-depleting chemicals (used primarily in [[aerosol spray]]s and [[refrigerant]]s) in the world, with a 25% market share in the late 1980s.

In 1974, responding to public concern about the safety of CFCs,<ref>[http://refrigerants.dupont.com/Suva/en_US/about/history/history_1970.html DuPont Refrigerants–History Timeline, 1970]. (URL accessed March 29, 2006).</ref> DuPont promised through newspaper advertisements and [[United States Congress|congressional]] testimony to stop production of CFCs should they be proven to be harmful to the ozone layer. On March 4, 1988, [[United States Senator|U.S. Senators]] [[Max Baucus]] ([[United States Democratic Party|D]]-[[Montana|Mont.]]), [[David Durenberger]] ([[United States Republican Party|R]]-[[Minnesota|Minn.]]), and [[Robert T. Stafford]] (R-[[Vermont|Vt.]]) officially wrote to DuPont, in their capacity as the leadership of the Congressional subcommittee on hazardous wastes and toxic substances, asking the company to keep its promise to completely stop CFC production (and to do so for most CFC types within one year) in light of the 1987 international [[Montreal Protocol]] for the global reduction of CFCs (signed for the United States by President [[Ronald Reagan]]). The Senators argued that “DuPont has a unique and special obligation” as the original developer of CFCs and the author of previous public assurances made by the company regarding the safety of CFCs. DuPont's response was that the senatorial demand was more drastic than the scientific evidence warranted, and that alternative chemicals were only in their infancy.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

In a dramatic turnaround on March 24, 1988, DuPont announced that it would begin leaving the CFC business entirely after a March 15 [[NASA]] announcement that CFCs were not only creating a hole in the ozone layer above [[Antarctica]] but also thinning the layer elsewhere in the world. Patrick Hossay argues in his book ''Unsustainable'' that DuPont "had begun researching substitutes for CFCs in the 1970s when sales began to slump. Because the company moved on alternatives to CFCs before its competitors, any ban on their use would give the company a sharp advantage."<ref>Hossay, Patrick. ''Unsustainable''. Zed Books, 2006 p. 200.</ref>

DuPont announced that it would stop selling CFCs with a full page advertisement in the April 27, 1992 ''[[New York Times]]'' stating “we will stop selling CFCs as soon as possible, but no later than year end 1995 in the US and other developed countries.”<ref>{{cite journal |author=Unknown Author |title=The World is Phasing Out CFCs, It Won't Be Easy |journal=The New York Times |date=April 27, 1992|pages=A7|url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/Dupont.jpg |format={{ndash}} <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=intitle%3AThe+World+is+Phasing+Out+CFCs%2C+It+Won%27t+Be+Easy&as_publication=The+New+York+Times&as_ylo=April 27, 1992&as_yhi=April 27, 1992&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup>}} {{Dead link|date=June 2008}}</ref>

Lewis du Pont Smith, in an April 27, 1994, open letter to shareholders on DuPont’s CFC Policy, warns that DuPont Corporation will be destroyed when a consumer backlash demands a Congressional investigation “regarding the science behind the ozone depletion fraud and the economic forces that pushed for the CFC ban”, which he called “the most massive consumer fraud of this century”, warning that “The cost to consumers of the ban on CFCs will exceed $5&nbsp;trillion: the consequences on human health will be devastating.” Eight years before, Lewis du Pont Smith had been declared mentally incompetent to handle his affairs after he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to [[Lyndon LaRouche]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Richard I. Kirkland Jr. |coauthor=Carrie Gottlieb |url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1986/09/29/68098/index.htm |title=Should You Leave It All to the Children? |publisher=CNN |date=1986-09-29 |accessdate=2011-09-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Michael dcCourcy Hinds |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0CE2D8103CF93AA15752C0A966958260 |title=Du Pont Millions at Issue In an Heir's Sanity Case |work=New York Times |date=1990-01-29 |accessdate=2011-09-19}}</ref>

In later years, DuPont would maintain that the company had taken the initiative in phasing out CFCs<ref>[http://refrigerants.dupont.com/Suva/en_US/about/history/history_1980.html DuPont Refrigerants– History Timeline, 1980]. (URL accessed March 29, 2006).</ref> and in replacing CFCs with a new generation of refrigerant chemicals, such as [[HCFC]]s and [[Hydrofluorocarbon|HFC]]s.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/ozone/defns.html US EPA: Ozone Depletion Glossary]. (URL accessed March 29, 2006).</ref> In 2003, DuPont was awarded the [[National Medal of Technology]], recognizing the company as the leader in developing CFC replacements.

===PFOA (C8)===
DuPont has faced fines from the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency‎|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎]] and litigation over releases of the [[Teflon]] processing aid [[perfluorooctanoic acid|perfluoro-octanoic acid]] (PFOA, also known as C8) from their works in [[Washington, West Virginia]].<ref>Clapp, Richard; Hoppin, Polly; Jagai, Jyotsna; Donahue, Sara: [http://www.defendingscience.org/case_studies/perfluorooctanoic-acid.cfm "Case Studies in Science Policy: Perfluorooctanoic Acid"] Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP). Accessed October 25, 2008.</ref> PFOA contaminated [[drinking water]] led to increased levels in the bodies of residents in the surrounding area. The court-appointed C8 Science Panel is investigating "whether or not there is a probable link between [[PFOA|C8]] exposure and disease in the community."<ref>C8 Science Panel: [http://www.c8sciencepanel.org/panel.html "The Science Panel"] Accessed October 25, 2008.</ref> The C8 Science Panel started releasing data in October 2008 and linked high [[cholesterol]], but not diabetes, to exposure.<ref>Scott Finn: [http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=5466 "C8 study shows link with high cholesterol"] ''West Virginia Public Broadcasting'' (October 16, 2008). Accessed October 25, 2008.</ref> DuPont has also faced [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]] (SEC) filings from the shareholder group DuPont Shareholders for Fair Value over the company's transparency regarding the chemical.<ref>United Steelworkers: [http://legacy.usw.org/usw/program/content/2099.php "DuPont Shareholders for Fair Value Calls on SEC to Investigate DuPont"] 2005 Releases and Advisories. (May 24, 2005). Accessed October 25, 2005.</ref>

DuPont has agreed to sharply reduce its output of PFOA,<ref>Renner, Rebecca: [http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/mar/policy/rr_PFOAreduction.html "Scientists hail PFOA reduction plan"] ''Environmental Science & Technology Online''. Policy News. (March 25, 2005). Accessed October 25, 2008.</ref> and was one of eight companies to sign on with the USEPA's 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program. The agreement calls for the reduction of "facility emissions and product content of PFOA and related chemicals on a global basis by 95 percent no later than 2010 and to work toward eliminating emissions and product content of these chemicals by 2015."<ref>USEPA: [http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pfoa/pubs/pfoastewardship.htm "2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program"] Accessed October 25, 2008.</ref> However, questions remain if the biological effects to people from this chemical translate into health effects.

==NASCAR sponsorship==
DuPont is widely known for its sponsorship of [[NASCAR]] driver [[Jeff Gordon]] and his [[Hendrick Motorsports]] No.24 [[Chevrolet Impala]]. DuPont has been sponsoring Jeff Gordon since he began in [[Sprint Cup]] (then Winston Cup) in 1992. DuPont has said this about their sponsorship:
<blockquote>Our sponsorship of Jeff Gordon helps keep DuPont brands and products in the public eye. Branding is a key component of the DuPont knowledge intensity strategy for achieving sustainable growth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jeffgordon.com/sponsors/ |title=Sponsors |publisher=Jeffgordon.com |accessdate=2011-09-19}}</ref></blockquote>

In 2009, DuPont, [[Jeff Gordon]], and [[Hendrick Motorsports]] celebrated their 17th season together. It is currently the longest driver/sponsor/owner combination in NASCAR.

==See also==
{{Commons category}}
* [[Du Pont family]]
* [[DuPont v. Kolon Industries]]
* [[Hagley Museum and Library]]
* [[Irving S. Shapiro]]
* [[Longwood Gardens]]
* [[Krebs Pigments and Chemical Company]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Arora, Ashish Ralph Landau and Nathan Rosenberg, (eds). (2000). ''Chemicals and Long-Term Economic Growth: Insights from the Chemical Industry''.
* [[Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.|Chandler, Alfred D.]] (1971). '' Pierre S. Du Pont and the making of the modern corporation''.
* [[Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.|Chandler, Alfred D.]] (1969). ''Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise''.
* du Pont, B.G. (1920). ''E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company: A History 1802–1902''. Boston and New York: [[Houghton Mifflin Company]]. – (Kessinger Publishing Rare Reprint. ISBN 1-4179-1685-0).
* Grams, Martin. ''The History of the Cavalcade of America: Sponsored by DuPont''. (Morris Publishing, 1999). ISBN 0-7392-0138-7
* Haynes, Williams (1983). ''American chemical industry''.
* [[David A. Hounshell|Hounshell, David A.]] and Smith, John Kenly, JR (1988). ''Science and Corporate Strategy: Du Pont R and D, 1902–1980''. Cambridge and New York: [[Cambridge University Press]]. ISBN 0-521-32767-9.
* Kinnane, Adrian (2002). ''DuPont: From the Banks of the Brandywine to Miracles of Science''. Willimington: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. ISBN 0-8018-7059-3.
* Ndiaye, Pap A. (trans. 2007). ''Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America''
* Zilg, Gerard Colby "DuPont: Behind the Nylon Curtain" (Prentice-Hall: 1974) 623 pages.

==External links==
{{Portal box|Philadelphia|Delaware|Companies}}
* [http://heritage.dupont.com Corporate History as presented by the company]
* [http://www.dupont.com DuPont Website]
* [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/10/10487.html Yahoo company profile: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company]
* [http://web.mit.edu/dma/www/ DuPont/MIT Alliance]
* [http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u7sf/u7materials/sfPac4.html ''The Stocking Story: You Be The Historian''], Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
* [http://www.hagley.org/library/exhibits/brandywine/index.html The DuPont Company on the Brandywine] A digital exhibit produced by the Hagley Library that covers the company's founding and early history

{{DuPont}}
{{Dow Jones Industrial Average companies}}
{{Philadelphia Corporations}}

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Revision as of 18:04, 31 October 2011

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Company typePublic
NYSEDD, DDPRB, DDPRA
Dow Jones Component
S&P 500 Component
IndustryChemicals
Founded1802
FounderEleuthère Irénée du Pont
HeadquartersWilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Key people
Ellen Kullman
(Chairman, President & CEO)
Products
RevenueIncrease US$ 32.733 billion (2010)[1]
Increase US$ 3.711 billion (2010)[1]
Increase US$ 3.042 billion (2010)[1]
Total assetsIncrease US$ 40.410 billion (2010)[1]
Total equityIncrease US$ 9.743 billion (2010)[1]
Number of employees
60,000 (2010)[1]
WebsiteDuPont.com

E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSEDD, DDPRB, DDPRA), commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009. Its stock price is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

In the 20th century, DuPont developed many polymers such as Vespel, neoprene, nylon, Corian, Teflon, Mylar, Kevlar, Zemdrain, M5 fiber, Nomex, Tyvek, Sorona and Lycra. DuPont developed Freon (chlorofluorocarbons) for the refrigerant industry and later, more environmentally friendly refrigerants. It developed synthetic pigments and paints including ChromaFlair.

DuPont's trademarked brands often become genericized. For instance, “neoprene” was originally intended to be a trademark, but quickly came into common usage.

History

Original DuPont powder wagon

Establishment, 1802

DuPont was founded in 1802 by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, using capital raised in France and gunpowder machinery imported from France. The company was started at the Eleutherian Mills, on the Brandywine Creek, near Wilmington, Delaware, USA two years after he and his family left France to escape the French Revolution. It began as a manufacturer of gunpowder, as du Pont had noticed that the industry in North America was lagging behind Europe and saw a market for it. The company grew quickly, and by the mid 19th century had become the largest supplier of gunpowder to the United States military, supplying as much as half of the powder used by the Union Army during the American Civil War. (The Eleutherian Mills site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and is now a museum covering this history that may be visited today.)

Expansion, 1902 to 1912

Working powder mills on Brandywine Creek, about 1905. Note the handwritten "These blow up occasionally, and then?"

DuPont continued to expand, moving into the production of dynamite and smokeless powder. In 1902, DuPont's president, Eugene du Pont, died, and the surviving partners sold the company to three great-grandsons of the original founder. The company subsequently purchased several smaller chemical companies, and in 1912 these actions gave rise to government scrutiny under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The courts declared that the company's dominance of the explosives business constituted a monopoly and ordered divestment. The court ruling resulted in the creation of the Hercules Powder Company (now Hercules Inc.) and the Atlas Powder Company (purchased by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and now part of AstraZeneca).[2] At the time of divestment, DuPont retained the single base nitrocellulose powders, while Hercules held the double base powders combining nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. DuPont subsequently developed the Improved Military Rifle (IMR) line of smokeless powders.[3]

DuPont also established two of the first industrial laboratories in the United States, where they began the work on cellulose chemistry, lacquers and other non-explosive products. DuPont Central Research was established at the DuPont Experimental Station, across the Brandywine Creek from the original powder mills.

Automotive investments, 1914

In 1914, Pierre S. du Pont invested in the fledgling automobile industry, buying stock of General Motors (GM). The following year he was invited to sit on GM's board of directors and would eventually be appointed the company's chairman. The DuPont company would assist the struggling automobile company further with a $25 million purchase of GM stock. In 1920, Pierre S. du Pont was elected president of General Motors. Under du Pont's guidance, GM became the number one automobile company in the world. However, in 1957, because of DuPont's influence within GM, further action under the Clayton Antitrust Act forced DuPont to divest itself of its shares of General Motors.

Major breakthroughs, 1920

In the 1920s DuPont continued its emphasis on materials science, hiring Wallace Carothers to work on polymers in 1928. Carothers discovered neoprene, the first synthetic rubber, the first polyester superpolymer and in 1935, nylon. The discovery of Teflon followed a few years later. 1935 was also the year that DuPont first introduced the chemical phenothiazine as an insecticide.

Second World War, 1941 to 1945

Throughout this period, the company continued to be a major producer of war supplies. As the inventor and manufacturer of nylon, DuPont helped produce the raw materials for parachutes, powder bags,[4] and tires.[5] DuPont also played a major role in the Manhattan Project in 1943, designing, building and operating the Hanford plutonium producing plant and the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina.

Space Age developments, 1950 to 1970

After the war, DuPont continued its emphasis on new materials, developing Mylar, Dacron, Orlon and Lycra in the 1950s, and Tyvek, Nomex, Qiana, Corfam and Corian in the 1960s. DuPont materials were critical to the success of the Apollo Project of the United States space program.

DuPont has been the key company behind the development of modern body armor. In the Second World War DuPont's ballistic nylon was used by Britain's Royal Air Force to make Flak jackets. With the development of Kevlar in the 1960s, DuPont began tests to see if it could resist a lead bullet. This research would ultimately lead to the bullet resistant vests that are the mainstay of police and military units in the industrialized world.

Conoco holdings, 1981 to 1995

In 1981, DuPont acquired Conoco Inc., a major American oil and gas producing company that gave it a secure source of petroleum feedstocks needed for the manufacturing of many of its fiber and plastics products. The acquisition, which made DuPont one of the top ten U.S.-based petroleum and natural gas producers and refiners, came about after a bidding war with the giant distillery Seagram Company Ltd., which would become DuPont's largest single shareholder with four seats on the board of directors. On April 6, 1995, after being approached by Seagram Chief Executive Officer Edgar Bronfman, Jr., DuPont announced a deal whereby the company would buy back all the shares owned by Seagram.

Divestiture, 1999

In 1999, DuPont sold all of its shares of Conoco, which merged with Phillips Petroleum Company.

Current activities

Pre-tax U.S. Profit by Year, in {{currency}} – invalid amount (help)[6]
2010 949
2009 171
2008 992
2007 1,652
2006 1,947
2005 2,795
2004 −714
2003 −428
2002 1,227
2001 6,131

DuPont describes itself as a global science company that employs more than 60,000 people worldwide and has a diverse array of product offerings.[7] In 2005, the Company ranked 66th in the Fortune 500 on the strength of nearly $28 billion in revenues and $1.8 billion in profits.[8]

DuPont businesses are organized into the following five categories, known as marketing "platforms": Electronic and Communication Technologies, Performance Materials, Coatings and Color Technologies, Safety and Protection, and Agriculture and Nutrition.

In 2004 the company sold its textiles business, which included some of its best-known brands such as Lycra (Spandex), Dacron polyester, Orlon acrylic, Antron nylon and Thermolite, to Koch Industries. DuPont also manufactures Surlyn, which is used for the covers of golf balls, and, more recently, the body panels of the Club Car Precedent golf cart.

As of 2011, DuPont is the largest producer of titanium dioxide in the world, primarily provided as a white pigment used in the paper industry.[9]

DuPont has its R&D facilities located in China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Germany and Switzerland with an average investment of $1.3 billion annually in a diverse range of technologies for many markets including agriculture, genetic traits, biofuels, automotive, construction, electronics, chemicals and industrial materials. DuPont employs more than 5,000 scientists and engineers around the world.[10]

On January 9, 2011, DuPont announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to buy Danish company Danisco for US$6.3 billion.[11] On May 16, 2011, DuPont announced that its tender offer for Danisco had been successful and that it would proceed to redeem the remaining shares and delist the company.[12]

Locations

The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Wilmington, Delaware. The company’s manufacturing, processing, marketing and research and development facilities, as well as regional purchasing offices and distribution centers are located throughout the world.[13] Major manufacturing sites include the Spruance plant near Richmond, Virginia (currently the company's largest plant), the Mobile Manufacturing Center(MMC) in Axis, Alabama, the Bayport plant near Houston, Texas, the Mechelen site in Belgium, and the Changshu site in China.[14] Other locations include the Yerkes Plant on the Niagara River at Tonawanda, New York, and the Sabine River Works Plant in Orange, Texas.

Corporate governance

Current board of directors

The board of directors elected Ellen J. Kullman president and a director of the company with effect from October 1, 2008, Chief Executive Officer with effect from January 1, 2009,[15] and Chairman effective December 31, 2009.[16][17]

Environmental record

In 2004, researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked DuPont as the largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States.[18] The study found DuPont's most toxic pollution comprised chloroprene (855,370 lb/yr, 387,989 kg/yr), sulfuric acid (804,501 lb/yr, 364,916 kg/yr), and chlorine (65,088 lb/yr, 29,523 kg/yr) based on Toxics Release Inventory data. The most massive releases came in the form of more than 4 million pounds (1,800 t) of carbonyl sulfide followed by 2 million pounds (900 t) of hydrochloric acid.[19]

In 2005, BusinessWeek magazine, in conjunction with the Climate Group, ranked DuPont as the best-practice leader in cutting their carbon gas emissions.[20][21] They pointed out that DuPont reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 65% from the 1990 levels while using 7% less energy and producing 30% more product. May 24, 2007 marked the opening of the US$2.1 million DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, a wildlife observatory and interpretive center on the Delaware Bay near Milford, Delaware, USA. DuPont contributed both financial and technological support to create the center, as part of its "Clear into the Future" initiative to enhance the beauty and integrity of the Delaware Estuary. The facility will be state-owned and operated by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).[22][23] DuPont is a founding member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development with DuPont CEO (at the time) Chad Holliday being Chairman of the WBCSD from 2000 to 2001.

Positive recognition

DuPont has been awarded the National Medal of Technology four times: first in 1990, for its invention of "high-performance man-made polymers such as nylon, neoprene rubber, "Teflon" fluorocarbon resin, and a wide spectrum of new fibers, films, and engineering plastics"; the second in 2002 "for policy and technology leadership in the phaseout and replacement of chlorofluorocarbons". Additionally, DuPont scientist George Levitt was honored with the medal in 1993 for the development of sulfonylurea herbicides—environmentally friendly herbicides for every major food crop in the world. In 1996, DuPont scientist Stephanie Kwolek was recognized for the discovery and development of Kevlar.

On the company's 200th anniversary in 2002, it was presented with the Honor Award by the National Building Museum in recognition of DuPont's "products that directly influence the construction and design process in the building industry."[24]

Controversies

Behind the Nylon Curtain

In 1974, Gerard Colby Zilg, wrote Du Pont: Behind the Nylon Curtain, a critical account of the role of the DuPont family in American social, political and economic history. The book was nominated for a National Book Award in 1974.

A du Pont family member obtained an advance copy of the manuscript and was "predictably outraged". A DuPont official contacted The Fortune Book Club and stated that the book was "scurrilous" and "actionable" but produced no evidence to counter the charges. The Fortune Book Club (a subsidiary of the Book of the Month Club) reversed its decision to distribute Zilg's book. The editor-in-chief of the Book of the Month Club declared that the book was “malicious” and had an “objectionable tone”. Prentice-Hall removed several inaccurate passages from the page proofs of the book, and cut the first printing from 15,000 to 10,000 copies, stating that 5,000 copies no longer were needed for the book club distribution. The proposed advertising budget was reduced from $15,000 to $5,000.[citation needed]

Zilg sued Prentice-Hall (Zilg v. Prentice-Hall), accusing it of reneging on a contract to promote sales.

The Federal District Court ruled that Prentice Hall had "privished" the book (the company conducting an intentionally inadequate merchandising effort) and breached its obligation to Zilg to use its best efforts in promoting the book because the publisher had no valid business reason for reducing the first printing or the advertising budget. The court also ruled that the DuPont Company had a constitutionally protected interest in discussing its good faith opinion of the merits of Zilg's work with the book clubs and the publisher, and found that the company had not engaged in threats of economic coercion or baseless litigation.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the damages award in September 1983. The court stated that, while DuPont's actions “surely” resulted in the book club's decision not to distribute Zilg's work and also resulted in a change in Prentice-Hall's previously supportive attitude toward the book, DuPont's conduct was not actionable. The court further stated that the contract did not contain an explicit “best efforts” or “promote fully” promise, much less an agreement to make certain specific promotional efforts. Printing and advertising decisions were within Prentice-Hall's discretion.

Zilg lost a Supreme Court appeal in April 1984.

In 1984 Lyle Stuart re-released an extended version, Du Pont Dynasty: Behind the Nylon Curtain.[25]

Chlorofluorocarbons

Along with Thomas Midgley (working under Charles Kettering of General Motors), DuPont was the inventor of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), and the largest producer of these ozone-depleting chemicals (used primarily in aerosol sprays and refrigerants) in the world, with a 25% market share in the late 1980s.

In 1974, responding to public concern about the safety of CFCs,[26] DuPont promised through newspaper advertisements and congressional testimony to stop production of CFCs should they be proven to be harmful to the ozone layer. On March 4, 1988, U.S. Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.), David Durenberger (R-Minn.), and Robert T. Stafford (R-Vt.) officially wrote to DuPont, in their capacity as the leadership of the Congressional subcommittee on hazardous wastes and toxic substances, asking the company to keep its promise to completely stop CFC production (and to do so for most CFC types within one year) in light of the 1987 international Montreal Protocol for the global reduction of CFCs (signed for the United States by President Ronald Reagan). The Senators argued that “DuPont has a unique and special obligation” as the original developer of CFCs and the author of previous public assurances made by the company regarding the safety of CFCs. DuPont's response was that the senatorial demand was more drastic than the scientific evidence warranted, and that alternative chemicals were only in their infancy.[citation needed]

In a dramatic turnaround on March 24, 1988, DuPont announced that it would begin leaving the CFC business entirely after a March 15 NASA announcement that CFCs were not only creating a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica but also thinning the layer elsewhere in the world. Patrick Hossay argues in his book Unsustainable that DuPont "had begun researching substitutes for CFCs in the 1970s when sales began to slump. Because the company moved on alternatives to CFCs before its competitors, any ban on their use would give the company a sharp advantage."[27]

DuPont announced that it would stop selling CFCs with a full page advertisement in the April 27, 1992 New York Times stating “we will stop selling CFCs as soon as possible, but no later than year end 1995 in the US and other developed countries.”[28]

Lewis du Pont Smith, in an April 27, 1994, open letter to shareholders on DuPont’s CFC Policy, warns that DuPont Corporation will be destroyed when a consumer backlash demands a Congressional investigation “regarding the science behind the ozone depletion fraud and the economic forces that pushed for the CFC ban”, which he called “the most massive consumer fraud of this century”, warning that “The cost to consumers of the ban on CFCs will exceed $5 trillion: the consequences on human health will be devastating.” Eight years before, Lewis du Pont Smith had been declared mentally incompetent to handle his affairs after he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Lyndon LaRouche.[29][30]

In later years, DuPont would maintain that the company had taken the initiative in phasing out CFCs[31] and in replacing CFCs with a new generation of refrigerant chemicals, such as HCFCs and HFCs.[32] In 2003, DuPont was awarded the National Medal of Technology, recognizing the company as the leader in developing CFC replacements.

PFOA (C8)

DuPont has faced fines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ and litigation over releases of the Teflon processing aid perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA, also known as C8) from their works in Washington, West Virginia.[33] PFOA contaminated drinking water led to increased levels in the bodies of residents in the surrounding area. The court-appointed C8 Science Panel is investigating "whether or not there is a probable link between C8 exposure and disease in the community."[34] The C8 Science Panel started releasing data in October 2008 and linked high cholesterol, but not diabetes, to exposure.[35] DuPont has also faced U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings from the shareholder group DuPont Shareholders for Fair Value over the company's transparency regarding the chemical.[36]

DuPont has agreed to sharply reduce its output of PFOA,[37] and was one of eight companies to sign on with the USEPA's 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program. The agreement calls for the reduction of "facility emissions and product content of PFOA and related chemicals on a global basis by 95 percent no later than 2010 and to work toward eliminating emissions and product content of these chemicals by 2015."[38] However, questions remain if the biological effects to people from this chemical translate into health effects.

NASCAR sponsorship

DuPont is widely known for its sponsorship of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports No.24 Chevrolet Impala. DuPont has been sponsoring Jeff Gordon since he began in Sprint Cup (then Winston Cup) in 1992. DuPont has said this about their sponsorship:

Our sponsorship of Jeff Gordon helps keep DuPont brands and products in the public eye. Branding is a key component of the DuPont knowledge intensity strategy for achieving sustainable growth.[39]

In 2009, DuPont, Jeff Gordon, and Hendrick Motorsports celebrated their 17th season together. It is currently the longest driver/sponsor/owner combination in NASCAR.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "2010 Form 10-K, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company". United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
  2. ^ "The DuPont Company". Delaware Historical Society. Retrieved March 29, 2006. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Davis, William C., Jr. Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association ISBN=0-935998-34-9 pp.31–33
  4. ^ "Hosiery Woes" Business Week, February 7, 1942, pp. 40–43
  5. ^ "Nylon in Tires", Scientific American, August 1943, p 78
  6. ^ Starkey, Jonathan (June 12, 2011). "DuPont pays no tax on $3B profit, and it's legal". The News Journal. New Castle, Delaware. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  7. ^ DuPont–Company at a Glance. Retrieved on March 29, 2006
  8. ^ "Fortune 500: 1955–2005". CNN. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
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Further reading

  • Arora, Ashish Ralph Landau and Nathan Rosenberg, (eds). (2000). Chemicals and Long-Term Economic Growth: Insights from the Chemical Industry.
  • Chandler, Alfred D. (1971). Pierre S. Du Pont and the making of the modern corporation.
  • Chandler, Alfred D. (1969). Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise.
  • du Pont, B.G. (1920). E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company: A History 1802–1902. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. – (Kessinger Publishing Rare Reprint. ISBN 1-4179-1685-0).
  • Grams, Martin. The History of the Cavalcade of America: Sponsored by DuPont. (Morris Publishing, 1999). ISBN 0-7392-0138-7
  • Haynes, Williams (1983). American chemical industry.
  • Hounshell, David A. and Smith, John Kenly, JR (1988). Science and Corporate Strategy: Du Pont R and D, 1902–1980. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-32767-9.
  • Kinnane, Adrian (2002). DuPont: From the Banks of the Brandywine to Miracles of Science. Willimington: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. ISBN 0-8018-7059-3.
  • Ndiaye, Pap A. (trans. 2007). Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America
  • Zilg, Gerard Colby "DuPont: Behind the Nylon Curtain" (Prentice-Hall: 1974) 623 pages.