Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) said Monday it plans to shut down three upstream assets in Europe, affecting ~800 jobs, as the company copes with "difficult market dynamics [in Europe], as well as an ongoing challenging cost and demand landscape.

(Reuters) -Chemicals company Dow will shut down three upstream plants in Europe and cut around 800 jobs in response to structural challenges in the region, it said on Monday. The company said the shutdown will remove higher-cost,

The shutdown of upstream assets in Europe will right-size regional capacity, reduce merchant sale exposure, and remove higher-cost, energy-intensive portions of Dow's portfolio in the region. This will improve our ability to supply profitable derivative demand and optimize margins.

Dow ( NYSE: DOW) announced its board of directors approved the closure of plants in Böhlen and Schkopau, Germany, and Barry, U.K., with shutdowns beginning in mid-2026 and full decommissioning stretching into 2029.

Dow Inc. announced it will close three upstream chemical facilities in Europe, impacting approximately 800 jobs, as part of a strategic restructuring to address persistent market challenges and boost profitability.

By the end of 2027, Midland, Mich.-based Dow will close an ethylene cracker in Böhlen, Germany, and a chlorovinyls unit in Schkopau, Germany.

Dow will shut down three manufacturing plants in Europe as part of a broader plan to cut costs and improve profitability; 800 jobs affected.

Dow announces strategic shutdown of three European facilities, impacting 800 jobs and optimizing regional chemical manufacturing capacity in a major restructuring effort.

Shares of Dow Inc. took a dive Monday, after the chemical and plastics company said cost cuts are deepening, as it will close plants and lay off more people in response to continued weak demand.

Crackers use high temperatures and steam to produce alkenes – mostly ethylene and propylene – from larger hydrocarbons in naphtha or other feedstocks. Mostly this feeds into commodity plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene, with a smaller amount going into other chemicals.

Investors in the U.S. continued the recent trend of shifting their portfolios to favor European stocks, as the dollar weakens and the euro rises.