Dow expanding specialty materials to meet growing demand for sustainable solutions

Dow has announced a series of incremental, high-return capacity expansions to support growing demand across key end-markets, all of which value sustainable solutions and continue to grow faster than GDP.

In Dow’s Consumer Solutions business, several key growth projects are planned to come online globally throughout 2021 and will increase capacity of:

• Silicone engineered materials and pressure-sensitive adhesives — improving reliability and efficiency in its consumer and electronics markets
• Silicone polymers and sealants — supporting greater design flexibility and enabling safe, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing architectures
• Silicone elastomers and thermally conductive materials — meeting growing demand for vehicles that are lighter, safer, and have a lower carbon footprint
• CatHEC (cationic hydroxyethylcellulose) polymers and PEGs (polyethylene glycols) — addressing a variety of home and personal care applications

These expansions build on Dow’s previous investments in its Consumer Solutions business, including more than 20 key debottleneck, efficiency improvement, and growth capital projects throughout 2019 and 2020.

“Dow is committed to investing in differentiated silicone and specialty materials assets to drive innovation and grow with our customers globally,” said Mauro Gregorio, president, Dow Performance Materials & Coatings. “There is growing demand for high-performance materials that enable sustainable solutions, and we look forward to further collaboration with our industry partners and customers following these expansions.”

Dow also recently announced plans to build an integrated MDI distillation and prepolymers facility in Freeport, Texas. This investment supports increasing demand for downstream polyurethane systems products and advances Dow’s positions in attractive applications in construction, consumer, and industrial markets.