Seadrift Operations—Setting aggressive goals, exceeding expectations

Seadrift, TX - May 30, 2006

At Union Carbide Corporation's Seadrift Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), employees know their neighbors in Calhoun County expect a commitment from them.

"Employees at Seadrift Operations have a history of being committed to making products safely and responsibly," said Site Leader David Pankratz. "The partnership they have with this community is exemplary and I'm pleased to be part of this organization and this community."

In 1994, Seadrift Operations challenged and committed itself to a set of aggressive 10-year performance goals. And in 2005 the site proudly reported its best year ever in environmental, health and safety.

As a company, Dow spent $1 billion to implement the goals, but saved $5 billion as a result. Dow reduced 1.6 billion lbs in waste - equivalent to 415 U.S. football fields one meter deep. Dow reduced 182 billion lbs. of waste water - equivalent to water usage for 170,000 U.S. homes for one year. Dow saved 900 million BTU's of energy, equal to energy usage for 8 million U.S. homes for one year.

Now, the company is looking ahead to the future and is laying the foundation for its 2015 Sustainability goals, which reflect Dow's commitment to the principles of Responsible Care® and have a broad external focus. The 2015 goals focus on strengthening our relationships with the communities where we operate and continuing to improve our product stewardship and innovation.

"We've done a great job of continually improving our performance," Pankratz said. "Our 2015 goals will influence our site's position to remain competitive and strengthen our long-term viability in this community."

Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to improve living daily. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.