Dow and DuPont both beat Wall Street expectations in the second quarter of this year.
According to a report in Reuters, demand for healthy and environmentally friendly products helped drive some of those results for both companies. Millennials, in particular, have been behind that trend.
For example, DuPont reported higher sales for probiotic cultures and emulsifiers, sold through the Danisco business, which increased the margins of its health and nutrition unit by 1 percentage point.
Both companies have also been innovating products that address certain environmental concerns such paints that remove formaldehyde from the air and detergents that don’t require hot water.
This kinds of products can help revamp the companies’ public image — which remains a challenge — and show the industry’s commitment to solving important global challenges.
Both companies have also developed robust sustainability programs that involve the development of greener products and more efficient manufacturing processes.
For example, DuPont has made Tyvek wraps — one of the company’s flagship products — sustainable so that builders can use and earn points towards a National Green Building Standard certification.
As Reuters notes, this approach doesn’t replace the core business of manufacturing chemicals, but it does tie in the goal of providing eco-friendly solutions to everyday problems.
“It shows to those who are listening and watching that the practice of chemistry is absolutely critical for the sustainability of the planet,” Dow’s chief sustainability officer said.