In light of this year's World Water Day on the theme of 'Water and Sustainable Development':

Dubai, UAE, 19 March 2015

Dow Water & Process Solutions, a global leader in sustainable water separation and purification technologies, is developing innovative technologies and collaborating on local projects that help to provide sustainable production of drinking water in the light of increasing water scarcity, making it more accessible to consumers across the Middle East region. Dow Water & Process Solutions is gearing up for the opening of its best-in-class DOW FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis (RO) elements in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the first of its kind outside of the United States.

This year, World Water Day will focus on Water and Sustainable development, one of the most important global challenges that guides Dow Water & Process solutions in the development of its sustainable technologies. The need to develop resource-efficient water treatment methods is underscored by the intrinsic relationship between water, food and energy, otherwise known as the Water-Food-Energy Nexus. This is especially pronounced in regions where water scarcity is more prominent, including many countries in the Middle East. Furthermore, as world population is expected to grow from 7 billion to 8.3 billion people by 2030, experts estimate that the world will require 30% more water, 40% more energy and 50% more food.

Dow Water & Process Solutions understands the importance of managing this vital relationship and is dedicated to the development of new technologies to ensure more sustainable production processes at lower costs. Zakia Bahjou, MEA&T Commercial Manager of Dow Water & Process Solutions (DWPS), said: "Our upcoming RO manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia demonstrates Dow's commitment to delivering a local supply of cutting‐edge water desalination and water re‐use technologies, serving Saudi Arabia, the surrounding MENA region, as well as emerging markets worldwide."

Dow Water & Process Solutions' growing presence in the region is also characterized by landmark partnerships and a commitment to positively impact the local economy. The company has a strong history of partnering with leading academic institutions across the world as part of its commitment to the communities in which it operates, and one of the most important partnerships at a global level is with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in the KSA.

The company has committed to a multiyear, multimillion-dollar research and development (R&D) framework that includes a founding partnership in the university's economic development program, the KAUST Industrial Collaboration Program (KICP), aimed at accelerating transfer of innovation and technology from an academic setting to the marketplace. The center focuses on ultrafiltration (UF) and RO technology for water treatment, with specific emphasis on increasing energy efficiency and minimizing environmental footprint.

This collaboration agreement lends strong support to the notion that the Middle East region will become a hub for innovation and a generator of solutions for modern developmental challenges like clean water supply and sustainable living. Dow Water & Process Solutions' presence in the wider Middle East region is further strengthened by several water treatment projects focused on water scarcity solutions as well as other industries such as mining and energy. Some of these include:

·         Moujeb Dam Water Project - Located in Jordan, one of the ten most water-deprived countries in the world, the project aims to transport some 5mcm (million cubic meter) of Mujib Dam water via the 18.5-kilometre-long pipeline to the Shihan Reservoir, which has the capacity to store 1,500 cubic meters. As decided in agreement with the Ministry for Water, 500 cubic meters of Mujib Dam water will be desalinated per hour and distributed to Karak to ease water shortage in the governorate. Dow Water & Process Solutions has provided its state-of-the-art, higher surface area UF technologies that will treat the transported water as part of an advanced UF system.

·         Ma'aden Projects - Ma'aden was formed to facilitate the development of Saudi Arabia's mineral resources. Ma'aden awarded water treatment contract to Metito to supply industrial grade water for their applications. Metito selected Dow as a partner for this project to deliver its technology and products for UF, RO, and Ion Exchange (IER), one of the only projects in the region to incorporate the complete range of Dow Water & Process Solutions' product portfolio into a single project and first time for industrial application in our region.

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About Dow Water & Process Solutions
A global leader in sustainable separation and purification technology, Dow Water & Process Solutions, a global business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, is making a clear impact in the world. We're helping to make water safer and more accessible, food taste better, pharmaceuticals more effective and industries more efficient and spearheading the development of sustainable technologies that integrate water and energy requirements. Dow Water & Process Solutions offers a broad portfolio of ion exchange resins, reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, fine particle filters and electrodeionization products, with strong positions in a number of major application areas, including industrial and municipal water, industrial processes, pharmaceuticals, power, residential water and waste and water reuse. More information about Dow Water & Process Solutions can be found at www.dowwaterandprocess.com

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 6,000 products are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

© Press Release 2015