Dow Broadens DOWLEX™ and ELITE™ PE Resin Families in North America

Commitment to hexene comonomer enhances industry leading brands

Fort Lauderdale, FL - December 12, 2005, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) today announced it has significantly broadened its North American portfolio of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) resins for the industrial and consumer films industry with the commercial launch of six new DOWLEX™ Polyethylene Resins and one new ELITE™ Enhanced Polyethylene (EPE) Resin. Differentiated by Dow Solution Technology, the new products are manufactured using hexene comonomer and will be targeted at a variety of applications in the 1.9 billion lb consumer liner and 1.4 billion lb stretch films markets.

“These new hexene-based products are expected to meet the functional needs of various applications, while Dow Solution Technology provides the processing, blending, and end-use performance advantages film converters have come to expect from DOWLEX PE and ELITE EPE Resins,” said Joe Laehu, North American Plastics Market Manager for Industrial and Consumer Packaging Films, The Dow Chemical Company. “This announcement signals a long term commitment by Dow to manufacture and supply hexene-based solution process technology resins.”

The commercial availability of hexene-based LLDPE products from Dow delivers three important benefits for liner and stretch film companies. First, film converters now have the opportunity to be more cost-competitive because of the ability to select products from a broader portfolio of resins from Dow that meet their application performance requirements. Second, they should have greater LLDPE supply reliability because of Dow’s flexibility to use either hexene or octene as LLDPE comonomers. Third, octene-based LLDPE will be targeted for higher value and more demanding applications.

Dow Solution Process Technology, a global production capability, differentiates Dow LLDPE resins by allowing greater molecular weight distribution control and the production of consistent polyolefin products with processability, blending, impact, sealability, and film handling advantages. It is the most flexible resin production process across the full range of industrial and consumer films applications.

DOWLEX™ PE Resins can be utilized in a wide variety of applications. They are well suited for liners (consumer or institutional trash bags) and unitization films (shrink film, stretch wrap and stretch hooder applications) requiring easy processing, toughness, puncture resistance, good tear resistance, impact resistance and hot tack strength. The new hexene-based products in the line are DOWLEX 2685G PE Resin (0.75 melt index, 0.9195 density), DOWLEX 2645G PE Resin (0.90 melt index, 0.9190 density), DOWLEX 2641G PE Resin (0.90 melt index, 0.9309 density), DOWLEX 2645.11G PE Resin (0.90 melt index, 0.9210 density), DOWLEX 2671G PE Resin (0.80 melt index, 0.9275 density), and DOWLEX 2686G PE Resin (0.75 melt index, 0.9195 density).

ELITE™ EPE Resins, produced using INSITE™ Technology from Dow, can be applied to a wide variety of film products. They combine sealabilty and stiffness, high stretch and high puncture resistance, impact strength and processability, stiffness and impact strength, and many other unique combinations. ELITE EPE Resins also offer downgaugability and faster run rates without compromising holding force. The hexene-based new addition to the family of ELITE EPE Resins is ELITE 5630 EPE Resin (4.50 melt index, 0.9170 density).

About The Dow Chemical Company

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $40 billion, Dow serves customers in 175 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress: food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its 43,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

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Paul Oakley

The Dow Chemical Company

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