Based on revenue, the spun-off Dow is the second leading chemical company worldwide behind German chemical manufacturer, BASF. In 2019, Dow reported a total revenue of around 42.95 billion U.S. dollars. About 34 percent, or 14.4 billion U.S. dollars of that amount was generated in the United States. As of July 2019, Dow’s market capitalization stood at some 36.92 billion U.S. dollars, which placed the company among the top ten worldwide.
There are now four operating segments within the company. The largest two are Packaging & Specialty Plastics and Industrial Intermediates and Infrastructure, responsible for nearly 80 percent of Dow’s total revenue. Approximately 765 billion U.S. dollars, some 1.78 percent of Dow Chemical’s total revenue, was spent on research and development in 2019. This percentage remained relatively stable over the past four years. In 2019, the company provided employment to some 36,500 people worldwide. Although the company was once known for household products such as Saran food wrap, the company has been involved in many lawsuits and scandals over the years. As recently as 2019, Dow settled a 77 million U.S. dollar lawsuit over the release of dioxin-related compounds and other hazardous substances from the company’s facility in Midland. During the 1960s and 1970s, Dow produced napalm and Agent Orange that was used in the Vietnam war.
