Dow to build market development unit to enable manufacturing of circular plastics

  • Dow working with Haldor Topsoe to fast-track the design, engineering and construction of a 10 kiloton/year market development unit at Dow’s Terneuzen site to purify pyrolysis oil feedstock derived from waste plastics for use in making circular products
  • Dow’s development unit will advance the technology for industrial-scale purification of recycled feedstocks, which will be used to meet strong market demand for circular polyethylene
  • The partnership marks another step in ensuring that Dow meets its 2030 circularity targets, efficiently keeping waste plastics out of the environment and reclaiming their value by converting them to circular polyethylene

MIDLAND, Michigan – October 12, 2021 – Dow (NYSE: DOW) today announced a first step agreement is in place with Haldor Topsoe, a global leader in sustainable solutions, to leverage lab-scale capabilities to support the design and engineering of a new 10 kiloton per year market development unit (MDU), which will be built at Dow’s site in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, for the manufacture of new, circular polyethylene from pyrolysis oil feedstock derived from waste plastics.

This builds on Dow’s announcement last week during the Company’s investor day event, where it announced its intention to fast-track the design, engineering and construction of a market development scale pyrolysis purification unit. The purification process is necessary to ensure the pyrolysis oil feedstocks are of sufficient quality to produce new polymers.

“Advancing the circular economy for plastics requires scale for feedstock recycling and clean up that does not yet exist broadly, so we are partnering to help accelerate it,” said Diego Donoso, president of Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business. “Leveraging Haldor Topsoe’s technology and expertise will help us de-risk scale-up of purification capabilities aligned with our efforts to Stop the Waste and Close the Loop.”

“Dow shares our commitment to accelerate more sustainable solutions. Our decades of experience in developing carbon emission reduction technologies complement Dow’s core strengths and can facilitate their roadmap to carbon neutrality. There are many opportunities to grow and advance our respective technologies, which are vital to decarbonization and circularity,” said Fei Chen, senior vice president, Clean Fuels and Chemicals Technology at Topsoe.

The objective for Dow’s new purification MDU is to validate the technology to produce circular products and to accelerate the scale needed to support strong market demand for circular polyethylene. The collaboration with Haldor Topsoe allows Dow to accelerate the company’s strategy to be a leading producer of circular polyethylene. Advancing the circular economy for plastics maximizes the sustainability benefits that plastics bring across the value chain while significantly reducing the footprint to produce them.

About Haldor Topsoe
Haldor Topsoe is a global leader in supply of catalysts, technology, and services to the chemical and refining industries. Topsoe aims to be the global leader within carbon emission reduction technologies by 2024. By perfecting chemistry for a better world, we enable our customers to succeed in the transition towards renewable energy. Topsoe is headquartered in Denmark and serves customers around the globe. In 2020, our revenue was approximately DKK 6.2 billion, and we employ around 2,100 employees. www.topsoe.com

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company, with a purpose to deliver a sustainable future for the world through our materials science expertise and collaboration with our partners. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer care. Dow operates 106 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $39 billion in 2020. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.

For further information, please contact:

Jarrod Erpelding
+1 989-633-1863
Jarrod.Erpelding@dow.com

Kyle Bandlow
+1 989-638-2417
kbandlow@dow.com