9.12.2006 - 01:35pm ET

(CSRwire) Midland, MI - September 12, 2006 - The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) has rated Dow as one of the top performers in the global chemical industry, a recognition Dow has received for the sixth time since the launch of the index in 1999.

The annual review by Dow Jones is based on a thorough assessment of companies' economic, environmental and social performance. The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index covers the leading 10 percent of the world's top 2500 companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria.

"We are extremely proud of this external validation, which reinforces that Dow's focus on sustainability is on track. We see this as an important step towards setting the standard for sustainability in the chemical industry," said David Graham, vice president, Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S). "Dow's overall score increased from 71 percent last year to 84 percent this year, a reflection of the development and introduction of our 2015 Sustainability Goals and the significant progress we made on our previous 2005 EH&S goals. This recognition is the direct result of the personal commitment of thousands of people at Dow to using our expertise in science and technology to address critical challenges facing our world."

Of note, Dow received a 100 percent score in the areas of Environmental Reporting, Advanced Environmental Performance, Genetically Modified Organisms and Human Capital Development.

Inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index can lead to several benefits:
• Financial benefits resulting from investments based on the index
• Enhanced recognition by the public and important stakeholders, such as legislators, customers and employees
• Highly visible results, because all components are publicly communicated by Dow Jones

In announcing results of the annual review for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Alexander Barkawi, managing director, SAM Indexes noted: "The market for sustainability investing has again made important steps ahead over the last 12 months. New sustainability mandates from pension funds, increasing interest among foundations, and an emerging market for sustainability-driven private wealth management are cases in point for that. Rising concern about short-termism in financial markets gives further impetus to this development."

For more information on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index visit www.sustainability-index.com and for information about benchmarking of sustainability performance see www.sam-group.com.

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

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