Skeletons in the Closet - An Olympic Issue

A row which has broken out over sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics highlights an interesting issue.

It’s been 27 years since gas leaked out of a Union Carbide pesticide plant in India, killing around 15,000 people and injuring half a million more – an incident which the Indian Government claims is responsible for ongoing health problems today.

And it just so happens that Dow Chemicals – a major sponsor for next year’s games – are the present owners of Union Carbide – a link which hasn’t gone down well in some parts to say the least.

There have been calls for the Olympic Committee to drop Dow, with protestors reportedly burning effigies of top ranking Olympic officials.

But, as Associated Press has pointed out Dow didn’t own or operate the Union Carbide plant at the time of the incident. In fact they only became a major shareholder 17 years after the tragedy.

Nevertheless it seems they can not escape the legacy of the tragedy. The question is, at what point is a company allowed to move on? Could public opinion curtail the activities of Dow indefinitely, regardless of their current status and reputation?

If PR is about reputation management this is one hell of a challenge for the people of Dow.

And it’s a stark reminder that skeletons have a habit of popping out of the closet….