Dow to Divest Non-Core Units, Aiming for $1B+ in Proceeds

The Dow Chemical Company

today announced additional actions to accelerate the Company's ongoing commitment to aggressive portfolio management, as outlined at its Investor Forum in December 2012. As a result of thorough, ongoing portfolio reviews in a slow-growth world, Dow is targeting an increased divestiture list of nearly $1.5 billion over the next 18 months. Further, the Company has identified two units that will be actively marketed for divestment: Dow's Polypropylene Licensing and Catalysts business unit and its Plastics Additives business unit. These actions are the latest in a series of steps the Company has taken to further enhance Dow's leadership position in high-margin, fast-growing end-markets, while simultaneously optimizing the value of assets. Since 2009, Dow has divested non-core businesses representing approximately $8 billion in revenue. In January, the Company divested the stabilizers component of its Plastics Additives business, and entered into a definitive agreement to sell its 50 percent ownership in Nippon Unicar Company Limited (a Japanese joint venture in the Dow Electrical and Telecommunications business).