public company

Dow / Union Carbide

A public chemicals case tied to Union Carbide and Dow, centered on the Bhopal gas disaster and unresolved mass-death and contamination accountability. Dow / Union Carbide scores low because of documented human harm, ecological harm, and person-dependent governance, with poor loss-bearing fidelity and weak stakeholder ownership reinforcing the negative evaluation.

Why this matters: Catastrophic industrial harm with long-running refusal or failure to repair belongs in the maximum human-harm tier.

Letter grade F Malignant Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 6, 2026

Final Score -42* F - Malignant

FMALIGNANT-42 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material8

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap8

Penalties-50

!Not Verified

Represent this organization?

Request verification to have the evidence record checked against primary materials and organization-supplied documents. Verification does not buy a higher score; scores change only when review finds factual errors, omissions, or miscalibration.

Request verification

Evaluation Overview

F - Malignant

The score turns mainly on Extraction, with the largest penalty coming from Human Harm.

Strengths

Extraction2/10
Labor Sovereignty2/7
Governance1/10

Penalties

Human Harm-20
Ecological Harm-18
Reversibility-5
Toxic Products-4

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims7
Direct axis claims7
Coverage7/15

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	0 / 10	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Ownership: decisive control remains with shareholders, private owners, executives, or state insiders rather than affected people. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 11 tied, 215 above on Ownership. Uncertainty Priority page: add more axis-specific research over time to make the comparative placement harder to dispute. Linked evidence Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Governance: ordinary users, workers, customers, or affected communities cannot change the rules that govern them. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 2 scored entries below, 68 tied, 156 above on Governance. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	2 / 10	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Extraction: the business model makes extraction from workers, users, suppliers, customers, or the public central rather than incidental. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 20 scored entries below, 18 tied, 188 above on Extraction. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	2 / 7	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Labor Sovereignty: labor remains managerially controlled, replaceable, or exposed to coercive employment and contracting conditions. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 8 scored entries below, 36 tied, 182 above on Labor Sovereignty. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	1 / 7	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the model provides little protection for people who leave, are excluded, or cannot bargain from employment. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 3 scored entries below, 27 tied, 196 above on Solidarity with the Unemployed. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	0 / 7	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: losses, hazards, or adjustment costs are routinely pushed onto workers, customers, suppliers, communities, or the public. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 11 tied, 215 above on Loss-Bearing Fidelity. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	1 / 5	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Market Conduct: market power, lock-in, coercive pricing, or exclusionary conduct is a major part of the institution's position. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 15 scored entries below, 15 tied, 196 above on Market Conduct. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	1 / 5	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Product Integrity: the core offering is closely tied to harmful, addictive, deceptive, degrading, or low-integrity product design. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 5 scored entries below, 17 tied, 204 above on Product Integrity. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	0 / 5	Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. That keeps Dow / Union Carbide low on Scale Integrity: scale magnifies harm, gatekeeping, opacity, or extraction rather than disciplining it. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 13 tied, 213 above on Scale Integrity. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Reversibility ? Applied when positive conduct depends on current living leaders, founders, family owners, or other person-contingent governance rather than durable structure. Range: -5 to 0.	-5	Dow / Union Carbide's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure. Dow / Union Carbide's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure. That warrants a severe Reversibility penalty because favorable conduct depends on current people or discretionary leadership rather than locked stakeholder structure. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 95 tied, 131 above on Reversibility. Linked evidence context Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control. [1] Dow / Union Carbide's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure. [2]
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-20	Amnesty International describes the Bhopal gas disaster as involving thousands of immediate deaths, more than 22,000 total deaths, roughly 500,000 people continuing to suffer, and unresolved remedy obligations connected to Union Carbide and Dow. Amnesty International describes the Bhopal gas disaster as involving thousands of immediate deaths, more than 22,000 total deaths, roughly 500,000 people continuing to suffer, and unresolved remedy obligations connected to Union Carbide and Dow. That warrants a severe Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 9 tied, 217 above on Human Harm. Linked evidence Amnesty International describes the Bhopal gas disaster as involving thousands of immediate deaths, more than 22,000 total deaths, roughly 500,000 people continuing to suffer, and unresolved remedy obligations connected to Union Carbide and Dow. [3]
Ecological Harm ? Footprint, trajectory, irreversibility, culpability, and scale, including whether ecological harm is central to the model and continued after credible notice. Range: -30 to 0.	-18	Dow / Union Carbide sits in the very severe Ecological Harm range because Bhopal-linked legacy harm and chemical-industry operations create grave contamination and industrial-risk concerns. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 6 scored entries below, 5 tied, 215 above on Ecological Harm. Linked evidence Amnesty International characterizes Bhopal as a continuing contaminated sacrifice zone with long-running environmental and health impacts after the Union Carbide gas leak. [4]
Toxic Products ? Current sale of products whose ordinary use, exposure, ingredients, residues, packaging, or formulation creates toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety risk. Food products receive at least light scrutiny for artificial colors, artificial flavors, petro-derived additives, pesticide residues, contaminants, endocrine-disrupting packaging, and ultra-processed formulation. Ordinary adult nightlife or alcohol service is not penalized by itself without evidence of predatory marketing, youth targeting, addiction-extractive design, or unusual product-safety misconduct. Range: -5 to 0.	-4	Dow / Union Carbide currently sells industrial chemical and materials products while catastrophic chemical-harm evidence anchors the company record; the product category creates ordinary… Dow / Union Carbide currently sells industrial chemical and materials products while catastrophic chemical-harm evidence anchors the company record; the product category creates ordinary toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety exposure under the directory's toxic-products screen. That warrants a severe Toxic Products penalty because ordinary use, exposure, ingredients, residues, packaging, or formulation creates material toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety risk. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 2 scored entries below, 6 tied, 218 above on Toxic Products. Linked evidence Dow / Union Carbide currently sells industrial chemical and materials products while catastrophic chemical-harm evidence anchors the company record; the product category creates ordinary toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety exposure under the directory's toxic-products screen. [6]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	Dow/Union Carbide Bhopal accountability records is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because unresolved remedy obligations and continuing contamination are documented largely through external human-rights sources. Dow/Union Carbide Bhopal accountability records is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because unresolved remedy obligations and continuing contamination are documented largely through external human-rights sources. That warrants a severe Accountability Opacity penalty because material facts, risks, conflicts, ownership, or accountability information are obscured from the public. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 52 tied, 174 above on Accountability Opacity. Linked evidence Dow/Union Carbide Bhopal accountability records is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because unresolved remedy obligations and continuing contamination are documented largely through external human-rights sources. [5]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-1	Dow / Union Carbide's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Dow / Union Carbide shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through… Dow / Union Carbide's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Dow / Union Carbide shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest, professional, market, safety, or institutional language, but the record does not show dominant concealment of. That warrants a limited Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Ideological Disavowal 0 to -3 recalibration: 0 for explicit standpoint or no penalty-level neutrality theater; -1 for bounded softening of contested choices; -2 for strong neutrality theater by a powerful institution; -3 for major gatekeeping or coercive power presented as neutral, necessary, objective, or non-ideological. Uncertainty This recalibration uses public self-presentation and profile evidence; later review should add direct language-analysis evidence for high-impact institutions. Linked evidence Dow / Union Carbide's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Dow / Union Carbide shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest, professional, market, safety, or institutional language, but the record does not show dominant concealment of standpoint. [7]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 68/100

7 verified linked claims 7 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 7/15 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 17/20

7 verified linked claims

Source quality 12/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 6/18

7 direct claims across 15 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 5/10

7/15 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Union Carbide presents itself as a Dow subsidiary, and the relevant chemical enterprise is governed through conventional corporate control rather than democratic affected-community or worker control.

Ownership Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Union Carbide company siteGeneral web source · 58%

2Dow / Union Carbide's favorable conduct depends partly on current leaders, founders, family owners, executive discretion, or other person-contingent control rather than a fully locked democratic stakeholder-control structure.

Reversibility Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Union Carbide company siteGeneral web source · 58%

3Amnesty International describes the Bhopal gas disaster as involving thousands of immediate deaths, more than 22,000 total deaths, roughly 500,000 people continuing to suffer, and unresolved remedy obligations connected to Union Carbide and Dow.

Human Harm Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Amnesty International Bhopal 40 Years of InjusticeGeneral web source · 58%
Amnesty International on Dow and Bhopal remedyGeneral web source · 58%

4Amnesty International characterizes Bhopal as a continuing contaminated sacrifice zone with long-running environmental and health impacts after the Union Carbide gas leak.

Ecological Harm Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Amnesty International Bhopal 40 Years of InjusticeGeneral web source · 58%
Amnesty International on Dow and Bhopal remedyGeneral web source · 58%

5Dow/Union Carbide Bhopal accountability records is relevant to the accountability-opacity penalty because unresolved remedy obligations and continuing contamination are documented largely through external human-rights sources.

Accountability Opacity Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 5, 2026

Amnesty International Bhopal 40 Years of InjusticeGeneral web source · 58%
Amnesty International on Dow and Bhopal remedyGeneral web source · 58%

6Dow / Union Carbide currently sells industrial chemical and materials products while catastrophic chemical-harm evidence anchors the company record; the product category creates ordinary toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety exposure under the directory's toxic-products screen.

Toxic Products Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

Union Carbide company siteGeneral web source · 58%
EPA chemicals under TSCAPrimary public record · 100%

7Dow / Union Carbide's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because Dow / Union Carbide shows bounded neutrality theater: some contested choices are softened through expertise, public-interest, professional, market, safety, or institutional language, but the record does not show dominant concealment of standpoint.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 9, 2026

AI scaffold

Dow / Union Carbide official siteGeneral web source · 58%
Amnesty International Bhopal 40 Years of InjusticeGeneral web source · 58%
Amnesty International on Dow and Bhopal remedyGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

AGOOD58 Isthmus Engineering worker cooperative engineering firm · same market AGOOD55 New Era Windows worker cooperative manufacturer · same market BQUALIFIED49 MONDRAGON Corporation cooperative federation · Spain BQUALIFIED42 Scott Bader commonwealth-owned chemical company · United Kingdom

Competitors

AGOOD58 Isthmus Engineering worker cooperative engineering firm · same market AGOOD55 New Era Windows worker cooperative manufacturer · same market DEXTRACTIVE33 Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories employee-owned engineering company · same market DEXTRACTIVE23 Recology employee-owned resource recovery company · same market DEXTRACTIVE12 W. L. Gore & Associates private employee-owned company · same market DEXTRACTIVE9 Henkel public consumer brands and adhesives company · same market DEXTRACTIVE5 Church & Dwight public household and personal-care manufacturer · same market DEXTRACTIVE5 Colgate-Palmolive public oral-care and consumer-products company · same market

Help Improve This Profile

Submit source-backed evidence or challenge a specific claim, source, axis value, or calculation below.

How This Page Is Maintained

Evidence comes in through contributors, is checked by verifiers, and is synthesized by reviewers. Founder authority remains narrow and visible; scores recalculate when verified claims or the rubric change.

Civic Note

Incorporation, limited liability, market access, and other institutional privileges are public grants. Good Companies Directory treats those privileges as conditional on accountability to workers, users, communities, and the public.

Submit evidence for Dow / Union Carbide Add one source-backed fact for review.

Challenge this rating Point to a specific score, claim, source, or calculation problem.

Audit Log

Recent public changes for this company or group. The full audit log is part of the Transparency record.

May 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding toxic-products-assessment

Added tentative AI-generated Toxic Products penalty -4 and directory value for current toxic, addictive, pesticide, livestock, chemical, or consumer-safety product exposure.

May 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding ai-scaffolding-score

Added tentative claim-backed worst-offender calibration score for human-harm scale comparison.

View Full Audit Log