MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) today received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's Corporate Equality Index - a global benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and inclusion. This announcement marks the twelfth consecutive year Dow has earned recognition on HRC’s list of “Best Places to Work” for LGBT employees in honor of the Company’s 100% rating.

“Dow continues to actively engage with all of our stakeholders to advance rights and inclusion for the LGBT community,” said Howard Ungerleider, vice chairman and chief financial officer for Dow and executive sponsor of GLAD, Dow’s employee resource group for LGBT and Ally Employees. “It’s both a moral and business imperative that we create an environment where all individuals are supported and valued. By fostering an inclusive culture both within and beyond the Company, we’re ensuring that everyone has the ability to unlock their true personal and professional potential.”

Dow has offered equal benefits to same-sex partners for over a decade and has best-in-class transgender policies and health benefits that are aligned to the standards of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a professional and educational organization devoted to transgender health. Internally, Dow’s LGBT employee resource group GLAD remains the largest of eight diversity networks within the Company, comprised of more than 3,000 employee participants across the globe.

Externally, the Company has been a longstanding advocate for state and federal legislation protecting LGBT people from policies that seek to create nonexclusive environments. Dow has spoken out in opposition to contentious legislation in several states, including North Carolina, Indiana, Louisiana and Texas. At the federal level, Dow was the first business to endorse the landmark Equality Act that aims to establish permanent protections against discrimination in matters of employment, housing, access to public places, federal funding, credit, education and jury service.

Dow has also engaged heavily with peer companies and local businesses to advocate for an inclusive workplace and society globally. Last year, Dow was among the first companies to sign onto the inaugural HRC Global Corporate Coalition for Equality to drive LGBT equality around the world. Leaders across the Company continue to lend their voices on the business and societal benefits of a diverse and inclusive environment locally, nationally and globally.

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 material, polymer, chemical and biological science 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 2015, Dow had annual sales of nearly $49 billion and employed approximately 49,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 179 sites in 35 countries across the globe. On June 1, 2016, Dow became the 100 percent owner of Dow Corning Corporation’s silicones business, a global company with sales of greater than $4.5 billion in 2015, 25 manufacturing sites in 9 countries and approximately 10,000 employees worldwide. 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.

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