Dow to close three Styrofoam plants by 2009

11 December 2007 23:36  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Dow Chemical will close three Styrofoam plants by 2009 as the company phases in production technology that meets the standards of the Montreal Protocol, the company said on Tuesday.

“Since we’ll also be expanding capacity, we won’t need as many plants,” said Rebecca Bentley, a spokeswoman for the company. "The new technology is more efficient so we will be able to produce more Styrofoam product."

By 2009, Dow will close its Styrofoam plants in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta; Weston, Ontario; and Torrance, California, Bentley said. About 65 employees work at the plants.

Meanwhile, a new Styrofoam plant in La Porte, Texas, and an existing plant in Varrennes, Quebec, will be upgraded to use a new foaming agent in production that is non-ozone depleting, Bentley said.

The new foaming agent replaces a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) that must be phased out in the US and Canada by 1 January, 2010, under the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer which both countries have signed.

“We’re excited to discover this new technology in advance of the Montreal Protocol deadline,” Bentley said.

On 4 December, Dow announced it would close plants across its businesses globally and cut up to 1,000 jobs to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Styrofoam is expandable polystyrene.

By: Greg Holt
+1 713 525 2653

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