The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) today announced that its joint venture in the Middle East – Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) – has achieved a significant milestone, starting up its mixed feed cracker (MFC).

“Sadara is a fundamental cornerstone in Dow’s strategic actions to deliver consistent, long-term earnings growth for our shareholders and enhanced value and market access for our customers,” said Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer. “The startup of the mixed feed cracker is a pivotal next step in realizing the full value creation of this world-scale integrated complex, which builds upon the unique strengths of its parent companies to deliver a portfolio of differentiated, high-value plastics and specialty chemical products throughout emerging economies.”

Sadara supports Dow’s strategy to enable cost-advantaged growth in key regions such as Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, India, and Eastern and Central Europe in key markets such as packaging, construction, electronics and transportation. The MFC is one of 26 manufacturing assets being built at the complex in Jubail Industrial City II, the largest of its kind ever built in a single phase. Ethylene and propylene produced by the MFC will be subsequently converted to a wide range of value-added plastics and specialty chemicals through Sadara’s other manufacturing units.

The complex has already commissioned two polyethylene trains, qualifying 25 products to date and shipping PE to nearly 100 customers in more than 25 countries. Sadara remains on schedule for a sequenced start-up process, continuing with the polyethylene and polyolefins envelope to maximize timing in the ethylene cycle, followed by ethylene oxide/propylene oxide and their derivatives. The more than 3 million metric tons of performance-focused products will add new value chains to the Kingdom’s vast petroleum reserves, resulting in the diversification of the economy and region.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from material, polymer, chemical and biological science to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2015, Dow had annual sales of nearly $49 billion and employed approximately 49,500 people worldwide. The Company's more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 179 sites in 35 countries across the globe. On June 1, 2016, Dow became the 100 percent owner of Dow Corning Corporation’s silicones business, a global company with sales of greater than $4.5 billion in 2015, 25 manufacturing sites in 9 countries and approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

Note: The forward looking statements contained in this document involve risks and uncertainties that may affect Dow’s operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, legal, governmental and technological factors. Accordingly, there is no assurance that Dow’s expectations will be realized. The Company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws.

®TM Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow