February 21, 2012 - Featuring petrochemical content of 35% or less, BioVinyl(TM) Flexible Vinyl Compounds incorporate phthalate-free DOW ECOLIBRIUM(TM) Bio-Based Plasticizers, which are manufactured using plant byproducts and can help minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Typical applications include consumer and industrial products, automotive components, certain medical devices, and certain wire and cable uses.

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Teknor Apex Co.
505 Central Ave.
Pawtucket, RI, 02861, USA

BioVinyl(TM) Compounds Will Span the Range of Applications for Standard Flexible Vinyl, with Comparable Physical Properties and Petrochemical Content of 35% or Less

PAWTUCKET, RI, U.S.A., - Innovative vinyl compounds made flexible with plasticizers from renewable resources will provide the performance advantages of conventional vinyl, have a smaller carbon footprint than alternative plastics like polyolefins or polyurethanes, and may be more cost-efficient than"green" biopolymers, it was announced today by Teknor Apex Company, which will introduce the products at NPE2012 (Booth 58038).

New BioVinyl(TM) flexible vinyl compounds incorporate phthalate-free DOW ECOLIBRIUM(TM) Bio-Based Plasticizers, which are manufactured using plant byproducts by Dow Electrical and Telecommunications (Dow E&T), a unit of The Dow Chemical Company. Under a recently announced Joint Collaboration Agreement, Teknor Apex has been granted the exclusive right to market in North America flexible vinyl compounds containing DOW ECOLIBRIUM(TM) Bio-Based Plasticizers in certain applications. The applications targeted by Teknor Apex for BioVinyl compounds include consumer and industrial products, automotive components, certain medical devices*, and certain wire and cable uses.

BioVinyl compounds are even less dependent on fossil fuel-based feedstocks than conventional flexible vinyl, according to Louis R. Cappucci, vice president in charge of the Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex. "Vinyl compounds incorporating DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers will actually be 60% based on renewable resources, since half of the PVC polymer is derived from seawater and typical plasticizer loadings are 33%," he said.

Traditional plasticizers are based on petrochemical feedstocks. "In replacing petrochemical-based products, ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40%,**" said Thorne Bartlett, new business development director, Dow E&T. Dow E&T has estimated a net reduction of 0.7 lb. of carbon dioxide emissions for every 1.0 lb. of compound made with diisononyl phthalate (DINP) as compared with compounds made with bio-based plasticizer. "In the case of a 1-million pound [450 metric ton] application for flexible vinyl compound, the reduction in emissions would be equivalent to removing 63 automobiles from the road on an annual basis, or 35,600 gallons of gasoline consumed," Bartlett continued.

More information about DOW ECOLIBRIUM Bio-Based Plasticizers is available at www.dow.com/ecolibrium.

About Dow Electrical & Telecommunications

Dow Electrical & Telecommunications, a business unit in the Performance Plastics Division of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow"), is a leading global provider of products, technology, solutions and knowledge that sets standards for reliability, longevity, efficiency, ease of installation and protection that the power and telecommunications industries can count on in the transmission, distribution and consumption of power, voice and data. Understanding that collaboration is essential to success, Dow Electrical & Telecommunications works together with cable makers, other industry suppliers, utilities, municipalities, testing institutes and other organizations around the world to help develop solutions and create mutual value that will sustain these industries for years to come. For more information, visit www.dow.com/electrical.

About Teknor Apex

A privately held firm founded in 1924, Teknor Apex Company is an international polymer technology company and one of the world's leading custom compounders of plastics. For U.S. markets, the company also manufactures chemicals such as plasticizers and the nationally branded consumer product, Apex® garden hose. Teknor Apex is headquartered in Pawtucket, RI, USA, operates manufacturing facilities around the world, and sells in 90 countries. Six of the eight Teknor Apex business units focus on plastics compounding, including bioplastics; color concentrates; nylons; thermoplastic elastomers; toll and specialty compounds; and flexible and rigid vinyl. The company's operations in the US serve customers throughout the Americas. Subsidiaries in China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom serve customers in Asia, Africa, the Mideast, and Europe. Visit www.teknorapex.com.

(TM) Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow.

(TM) Trademark of Teknor Apex

* Subject to Dow's Medical Application Policy

* * Based on lifecycle analysis (LCA) tests conducted by The Dow Chemical Company and third-party reviewed.

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