LOMAX™ Technology Makes A Father Proud
Dow Launches Renewable Energy Source

Dalton, GA - June 25, 2008

With six children underfoot, including quintuplet toddlers, Todd Crook is especially focused on the future. As father to children all under the age of five, he not only considers the whirlwind of six future teenagers and the cost of college educations, but also wonders what kind of world his children will live in when they reach adulthood. “With theories abounding about global warming, it makes one think about what their lives will hold,” the father mused.

That concern is what makes Crook especially pleased that his employer, The Dow Chemical Company, began using landfill gas in June as the energy source to manufacture latex carpet backing at its Dalton, Ga. plant. “Today’s gas prices alone are enough reason to know we must, as a nation and world, move to more sustainable energy sources,” Crook, Americas Flooring Leader for Dow Emulsion Polymers, said.

While piping “garbage gas” from a landfill to fuel a manufacturing facility is not a new technology, it is an idea that continues to gain popularity as businesses and municipalities continue to search for “greener” ways to do business. The carpet industry has been a leader in sustainability and developed innovative products and solutions long before the words “LEED” and “green” became buzz words.

“When carpet manufacturers and their customers choose Dow latex backing, they can not only feel good about getting high-performance products, but also products with an improved environmental impact,” said Crook. “In the manufacturing of our latexes for carpet backing, our target will be to replace nearly all the fossil fuel required to manufacture latex with landfill gas that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.”

LOMAX™ Technology, the name Dow bestowed upon this renewable energy source process, will use approximately 240 billion Btu annually of landfill gas, which is equivalent to the amount of energy required to heat 2,100 US homes annually. Carpet backing manufactured with LOMAX™ Technology will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 27 million pounds annually – which is comparable to keeping 2,300 cars off the road each year.

Carpet backing products manufactured with LOMAX™ Technology are targeted to receive up to five points under the renewable energy section of the new NSF 140 Carpet Sustainability Standard.  Carpets that are certified under this NSF Sustainability Standard are eligible to receive ½ to two LEED Innovation Points depending on the level of certification (Silver, Gold, or Platinum).  In addition, LOMAX™ Technology is designed to meet all CRI Green Label Plus initiatives, which allows specifiers to receive one additional LEED point.

“LOMAX™ Technology is improving our environmental footprint by replacing more than 200,000 barrels of oil every year. These kind of initiatives will change things in our lifetime,” Crook noted.

Developments like LOMAX™ Technology are in keeping with Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, a multi-part program to address some of the most pressing economic, social and environmental concerns facing the global community over a 10-year period. These goals reflect Dow’s commitment to the principles of Responsible Care® and have led to Dow’s recognition as one of the top performers in the global chemical industry by the 2007 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World). To learn more about LOMAX™ Technology, visit www.dowlomax.com.

About Dow

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For Editorial Information:

Jennifer Holzinger
The Dow Chemical Company
(989) 636-8537

Laura Jennings
The Branding Firm
(706) 812-1824
laura.jennings@thebrandingfirm.com