Dow (NYSE:DOW) and Circusil LLC announced today a partnership to construct their first commercial scale silicone recycling plant in North America. This facility will recycle silicone waste streams from Dow’s U.S. operations as well as post-industrial waste streams from customers. Operations are targeted to begin in fourth quarter of 2024.The strategic investment marks a substantial milestone in Dow’s silicone circularity journey and will allow the company to produce silicone polymers derived from silicone waste and end-of-life products originating from U.S. operations.

The advanced recycling process that will be used at the new facility contributes to enhanced sustainability. In addition to achieving silicone recycling by closing the loop and ultimately reintroducing the recycled silicone product into silicone production, it also aims to reduce the overall carbon footprint. Recycled silicones exhibit a lower carbon footprint, compared to silicone manufactured from virgin material.

“Our partnership with Circusil LLC to establish silicone recycling capabilities in North America marks a major stride forward in our pursuit of circularity. It reflects our ambition to lead silicone recycling at scale,” said Eric Peeters, vice president for Dow Performance Materials & Coatings. “As a global silicone manufacturer, we are actively delivering on our commitment to drive circularity aiming to achieve a closed-loop system on this extremely valuable material, while lowering the carbon footprint of silicones.”

Silicones play a key role in critical applications across significant industries including electronics, automotive and electric vehicles, construction, and renewable energy. The versatile materials are derived from the element silicon, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as a “critical material for energy.”

For Dow’s U.S. customers, this new facility in Paris, Kentucky, once completed, will generate the opportunity to:

Circusil, a company with a profound commitment to sustainability, is on a transformative journey to reshape the industrial landscape by recycling silicone materials through groundbreaking technology innovations. These innovations enable the production of silicone fluids from silicone-based materials, mitigating the detrimental environmental consequences of improper disposal, increased carbon footprint and reducing reliance on virgin materials. By reintegrating silicone fluids into industrial applications, Circusil is working to ensure waste reduction and resource efficiency. This vision embodies the very essence of circularity, where materials are continuously repurposed, echoing the harmony of nature’s cycles. Circusil, underpinned by the remarkable work of its leadership team, has a combined experience of over a century in silicone material reprocessing, illuminating a world where responsible resource management leads the way to a more sustainable future. For more information, please visit www.circularsilicones.com

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth; asset integration and scale; focused innovation and materials science expertise; leading business positions; and environmental, social and governance leadership to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. 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 applications. Dow operates manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 37,800 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $57 billion in 2022. 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.