Horgen, Switzerland - November 02, 2005

The Dow Chemical Company announced today the decision to close its polystyrene production facility at Barry, South Wales, in the United Kingdom, by the end of 2005.

"This intended closure of the polystyrene plant at Barry involves extremely difficult decisions and reflects the competitive business climate that Dow faces in this industry," said Javier Constante, European polystyrene product director at Dow. "We must take action to maximize the efficiency of Dow's asset utilization in order to restore the long-term sustainability and profitability of Dow's polystyrene business."

Constante emphasized that Dow continues to be firmly committed to the polystyrene business. "With a total global polystyrene capacity of 2.3 million metric tons, Dow remains a leading producer in this industry," he said. "Our customers can expect a continued high level of service and quality, with their needs fully supplied from our other plants in Europe."

Dow produces STRYON* and STYRON A-TECH* Polystyrene Resins at six sites in Europe: Tessenderlo, Belgium; Schkopau, Germany; Lavrion, Greece; Terneuzen, The Netherlands; Bilbao, Spain; and Barry. The plant in Barry has a capacity to produce 75,000 MT annually of polystyrene but has operated historically below capacity.

The Barry site employs 24 people. The actual number of jobs that could be impacted will be determined during the 30 day employee consultation period.

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.

For Editorial Information:

Shanna Wendt
Dow Europe GmbH
+41 44 728 2082

Sue Breach
Dow Chemical Company Limited
+44 1223 728019