Dow Inc.

Dow Inc. is a global materials science company headquartered in Midland, Michigan. The modern Dow Inc. was incorporated in 2018 and became an independent publicly traded company in April 2019 through the separation of DowDuPont's materials science business. It operates through the legacy Dow Chemical organization and its subsidiaries, but is distinct from the historical Dow Chemical Company that was founded in 1897 by Herbert H. Dow. The company develops, manufactures and sells chemicals, plastics, coatings, silicones, polyurethane materials, industrial intermediates and related technologies. Its products are generally business-to-business materials rather than consumer-branded finished goods. They are incorporated into flexible and rigid packaging, food and specialty packaging, building materials, insulation, adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, household and personal-care products, medical and pharmaceutical packaging, electronics, appliances, footwear, transportation equipment and agricultural films. Dow's principal operating structure has centered on three broad segments: Packaging & Specialty Plastics; Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure; and Performance Materials & Coatings. Its portfolio includes polyethylene and other polymer resins, ethylene oxide and derivatives, polyurethanes, silicones, acrylic and specialty coatings materials, elastomers, solvents and performance additives. The company sells both commodity-scale materials and more specialized formulations, with an emphasis on technical collaboration, application development and supply-chain reliability. A defining strategic turning point was the 2017 merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont, followed by a planned division of the combined DowDuPont group into three independent companies. Dow Inc. represented the materials science business, while Corteva represented agriculture and DuPont retained specialty products. The separation was designed to create more focused businesses and was completed in 2019. Since then, Dow has sought to improve the mix of its portfolio by emphasizing customer-driven applications, infrastructure, packaging, mobility and sustainability-related materials while retaining large-scale chemical production capabilities. Sustainability is a major part of Dow's public positioning. The company promotes lower-carbon materials, circular plastics, recycling technologies, renewable or alternative feedstocks, energy efficiency and product designs intended to reduce material use or improve durability. Its stated Transform the Waste ambitions include increasing the availability of recycled and circular materials. In 2024 Dow agreed to acquire Circulus, a North American polyethylene recycler, to add post-consumer resin capacity and strengthen its mechanical-recycling offering. Dow has also promoted materials science for electric mobility through its MobilityScience platform and partnerships in racing and automotive innovation. Dow serves customers across multiple regions, with manufacturing, research, sales and distribution activities in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. Its scale derives from integrated chemical production and global customer relationships, while its competitive proposition combines materials science, process technology, application expertise and the ability to supply high volumes. The company remains an active, publicly traded chemicals producer under the Dow name.

The roots of Dow's business lie in The Dow Chemical Company, established in Midland, Michigan, in 1897 by Herbert H. Dow. The original company grew from chemical-process innovations into a diversified producer of industrial chemicals, plastics and performance materials. Over the twentieth century it expanded its manufacturing base, research capabilities and international operations, becoming one of the world's largest chemical companies. The historical Dow business was shaped by vertical integration, large-scale production and continuing diversification into materials used by industrial and consumer-product manufacturers. Dow expanded through organic research and acquisitions. Important later transactions included the 1999 acquisition of Union Carbide, which added major businesses and technologies but also brought scrutiny concerning inherited liabilities associated with Union Carbide's historical operations. In 2008 Dow agreed to acquire Rohm and Haas, a transaction intended to strengthen higher-value specialty chemicals, coatings and related materials. The deal was completed after financing and market conditions created substantial execution challenges. Dow also divested various consumer businesses over time, including the DowBrands division, whose household products were sold to S. C. Johnson & Son in the late 1990s. In 2017 Dow and DuPont completed a merger that created DowDuPont. The combination was not intended to remain permanent. Management and boards planned to separate the group into three focused, publicly traded companies: an agriculture company, a specialty-products company and a materials science company. The materials science business was placed into Dow Inc., a newly formed Delaware holding company. DowDuPont's board approved the separation in March 2019, and Dow began trading as an independent public company in April 2019. This transaction transformed the legal and strategic identity of the Dow brand: the operating heritage remained connected to Dow Chemical, but the listed parent became Dow Inc. As an independent company, Dow organized its activities around packaging and specialty plastics, industrial intermediates and infrastructure, and performance materials and coatings. Its markets include packaging, construction, transportation and mobility, consumer care, electronics, appliances, healthcare, agriculture and industrial manufacturing. The company combines basic chemical production with application-specific materials, allowing it to serve both large-volume resin markets and customers requiring specialized performance characteristics. During the 2020s Dow increasingly emphasized portfolio quality, customer-oriented innovation and sustainability. Its public goals have included reducing waste, increasing circular and recycled materials, lowering emissions and developing products that help customers improve resource efficiency. The company has used partnerships, product development and acquisitions to expand these capabilities. In 2024 it agreed to acquire Circulus, a North American recycler of polyethylene waste into post-consumer resin, adding recycling capacity and supporting its Transform the Waste objectives. In 2025 it announced an agreement to sell its 50% interest in DowAksa, reflecting continuing portfolio management and a focus on businesses aligned with its priorities. Leadership during the independent-company period included Jim Fitterling, a long-serving Dow executive who became Dow Inc.'s chief executive at the time of the separation and later executive chairman. The company announced a succession plan under which Karen S. Carter, previously chief operating officer and a leader of the Packaging & Specialty Plastics business, would become chief executive on July 1, 2026, with Fitterling moving to an executive-chair role. Dow therefore remains an active global materials company, combining the heritage of a nineteenth-century chemical enterprise with the legal structure and strategic focus created by the DowDuPont separation.

1. 2026Planned chief executive succession

   Dow announced that Karen S. Carter would become chief executive on July 1, 2026, while Jim Fitterling would transition to executive chairman.

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2. 2025DowAksa stake sale announced

   Dow announced an agreement to sell its 50% interest in the DowAksa carbon-fiber joint venture to its partner, Aksa Akrilik.

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3. 2024Circulus acquisition announced

   Dow agreed to acquire a North American polyethylene recycler to add approximately 50,000 metric tons of annual recycled-material capacity.

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4. 2019Dow Inc. became an independent public company

   DowDuPont distributed Dow Inc. shares to its eligible stockholders, separating the materials science business as a standalone listed company.

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5. 2017Dow and DuPont merger completed

   The two chemical groups combined as DowDuPont in preparation for a subsequent separation into three independent companies.

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6. 2008Rohm and Haas acquisition agreed

   Dow agreed to acquire Rohm and Haas to increase its exposure to specialty chemicals, coatings and higher-value materials.

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7. 1999Union Carbide acquisition agreed

   Dow agreed to acquire Union Carbide, substantially expanding its scale and portfolio while also inheriting historical liabilities associated with the acquired company.

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8. 1897The Dow Chemical Company founded

   Herbert H. Dow established the company in Midland, Michigan, creating the historical corporate foundation of the Dow business.

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A global materials science and chemical manufacturing company focused on high-volume and specialty materials for packaging, infrastructure, mobility, consumer care and industrial applications, with sustainability and circularity as strategic themes.

• Polyethylene and polymer resinsPackaging and specialty plastics

  Dow produces polyethylene and related polymer materials used in flexible packaging, rigid containers, agricultural films, healthcare packaging, consumer products and industrial components. These materials are supplied in grades engineered for properties such as toughness, sealability, stiffness, barrier performance, processability and recyclability.

• SiliconesPerformance materials

  Dow's silicone materials serve construction, transportation, electronics, healthcare, personal care, appliances and industrial applications. Products include silicone elastomers, sealants, fluids and specialty formulations designed to provide durability, temperature resistance, flexibility, release properties or electrical performance.

• Polyurethanes and industrial intermediatesIndustrial intermediates and infrastructure

  Dow supplies polyurethane systems and chemical intermediates used in insulation, refrigeration, footwear, furniture, automotive components, coatings, adhesives and other engineered applications. The portfolio links large-scale chemical feedstocks with application technologies for energy efficiency, comfort and structural performance.

• Coatings, adhesives and sealant materialsPerformance materials and coatings

  Dow provides resins, binders, additives and formulation technologies for architectural, industrial, packaging, wood, transportation and specialty coatings, as well as adhesives and sealants. These materials help customers achieve adhesion, appearance, protection, flexibility, chemical resistance and weatherability.

• Recycled and circular polymer materialsCircular materials2024

  Dow is expanding offerings that incorporate recycled or circular feedstocks. The Circulus transaction was intended to increase access to post-consumer polyethylene resin and strengthen the company's ability to supply recycled materials for packaging and other applications.

• 2023Dow MobilityScience and Jaguar TCS Racing

  Thailand · International

  Dow promoted its MobilityScience materials platform through communications associated with Jaguar TCS Racing, linking materials innovation with electric mobility and lower-carbon transportation.

  Outcome. The partnership provided a visible platform for demonstrating materials science in electric-vehicle and motorsport applications.

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• 2022Expanded Sustainability Targets

  Global

  Dow communicated expanded sustainability ambitions focused on reducing waste, emissions and resource use while developing materials that support a more circular economy.

  Outcome. The campaign reinforced sustainability and circularity as central themes in Dow's corporate and product communications.

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• 2025Sell Dow's interest in DowAksaM&A

  Dow reviewed its portfolio and agreed to exit its 50% interest in the carbon-fiber joint venture.

  What changed. Dow agreed to sell its stake to Aksa Akrilik, the other joint-venture partner.

  Aftermath. The announced transaction would remove Dow from the joint venture and further concentrate its portfolio on its core materials businesses.

  Expected proceeds. $125 million (2025 announcement; expected transaction proceeds)

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• 2024Acquire CirculusM&A

  Dow sought to expand its mechanical recycling capabilities and support its 2030 waste-transformation objectives.

  What changed. Dow signed an agreement to acquire Circulus and its two U.S. polyethylene-recycling facilities.

  Aftermath. The transaction was expected to add approximately 50,000 metric tons of recycled-material capacity annually, subject to customary approvals.

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• 2019Separate the Dow materials science business from DowDuPontStrategy

  DowDuPont was created as a combination of Dow and DuPont but was designed to be divided into three focused public companies.

  What changed. DowDuPont distributed Dow Inc. shares to eligible stockholders and established Dow as the standalone materials science company.

  Aftermath. The separation created an independent Dow focused on packaging, infrastructure, mobility, consumer care and related materials markets.

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• 2025Dow announced the planned sale of its DowAksa joint-venture interest

  Dow announced an agreement under which Aksa Akrilik would acquire Dow's 50% interest in the DowAksa carbon-fiber joint venture.

  M&A
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• 2024Dow agreed to acquire Circulus to expand polyethylene recycling capacity

  Dow announced an agreement to acquire Circulus, whose two U.S. facilities had combined capacity of about 50,000 metric tons per year of recycled materials.

  M&AOther
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• 2023Dow promoted MobilityScience materials through Jaguar TCS Racing partnerships

  Dow marketing materials presented MobilityScience as a materials partner supporting electric-mobility innovation and lower-carbon transportation initiatives with Jaguar TCS Racing.

  Campaign
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• 2019DowDuPont approved the separation of its materials science business into Dow Inc.

  DowDuPont's board approved the distribution of Dow Inc. shares as the first step in separating the combined group's materials science, agriculture and specialty-products businesses.

  M&A
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1. Dow Inc. official website
2. DowDuPont separation information statement
3. Dow Chemical Company history
4. Dow acquisition of Circulus
5. DowAksa stake sale announcement
6. Jim Fitterling leadership profile
7. Dow Inc. media and campaigns profile
8. Dow and DuPont merger completed
9. Planned chief executive succession