VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

Consolidated Variable Interest Entities

At December 31, 2016, the Company holds a variable interest in seven joint ventures or entities for which the Company is the primary beneficiary.

Three joint ventures own and operate manufacturing and logistics facilities, which produce chemicals and provide services in Asia Pacific. The Company’s variable interest in these joint ventures relates to arrangements between the joint ventures and the Company, involving the majority of the output on take-or-pay terms with pricing ensuring a guaranteed return to the joint ventures.

The fourth joint venture manufactures products in Japan for the semiconductor industry. Each joint venture partner holds several equivalent variable interests, with the exception of a royalty agreement held exclusively between the joint venture and the Company. In addition, the entire output of the joint venture is sold to the Company for resale to third-party customers.

The fifth joint venture provides ethylene storage in Alberta, Canada. The Company's variable interests relate to arrangements involving a majority of the joint venture's storage capacity on take-or-pay terms with pricing ensuring a guaranteed return to the joint venture; and favorably priced leases provided to the joint venture. The Company provides the joint venture with operation and maintenance services and utilities.

The Company was a partner in a joint venture located in Brazil that produces ethanol from sugarcane. The Company's variable interests in this joint venture related to an equity option between the partners, a parental loan and guarantee related to debt financing, and contractual arrangements limiting the partner's initial participation in the economics of certain assets and liabilities. After formation of the joint venture, the partners amended the governing documents, including terms of the equity option. Terms of the equity option required the Company to purchase the partner's equity investment at a price based on a specified formula if the partner elected to exit the joint venture. In August 2015, the partner exercised its equity option which required Dow to purchase their equity investment. As a result, the Company reclassified the partner's equity investment from "Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest" to "Accrued and other current liabilities" in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2015. On March 31, 2016, the partner's equity investment transferred to the Company. On July 11, 2016, the Company paid $202 million to the former partner, which is classified as "Purchases of noncontrolling interests" in the consolidated statements of cash flows. This former joint venture is now 100 percent owned by the Company, therefore its asset and liability balances are not included in the December 31, 2016, balances in the "Assets and Liabilities of Consolidated VIEs at December 31" table that follows. The Company continues to hold variable interests in a related entity that owns a cogeneration facility, which represents the sixth entity for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. The Company's variable interests are the result of a tolling arrangement where it provides fuel to the entity and purchases a majority of the cogeneration facility’s output on terms that ensure a return to the entity’s equity holders. The assets and liabilities of the cogeneration facility continue to be included in the table that follows.

The Company previously held an equity interest in a joint venture that owns and operates a membrane chlor-alkali manufacturing facility. The Company’s variable interests in this joint venture related to equity options between the partners and a cost-plus off-take arrangement between the joint venture and the Company, involving proportional purchase commitments on take-or-pay terms and ensuring a guaranteed return to the joint venture. In the second quarter of 2015, Mitsui & Co. Texas Chlor-Alkali Inc. ("Mitsui"), a 50 percent equity owner in this joint venture, provided notice of its intention to transfer its equity interest to Dow as part of the Transaction with Olin. On October 5, 2015, the Company purchased Mitsui's equity interest in the membrane chlor-alkali joint venture for $133 million, which resulted in a loss of $25 million included in "Sundry income (expense) - net" in the consolidated statements of income and included as a component of the pretax gain on the Transaction. The loss is reflected in the Performance Materials & Chemicals segment. See Note 6 for additional information on this Transaction.

The Company previously held a 49 percent equity interest in a joint venture that managed the growth, harvest and conditioning of soybean seed and grain, corn and wheat in the United States. The Company's variable interest in this joint venture related to an equity option between the partners. Terms of the equity option required the Company to purchase the partner's equity investment at a price based on a specified formula, after a specified period of time, and satisfaction of certain conditions, if the partner elected to sell its equity investment. On August 10, 2015, the equity option was determined to be exercisable and the partner provided notice to the Company of its intent to exercise the equity option, which resulted in an after-tax loss of $22 million, included in "Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests" in the consolidated statements of income. The Company purchased the partner's equity investment on September 18, 2015, which resulted in the joint venture becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow. Subsequent to the purchase of the partner's equity investment, the Company sold its entire ownership interest in the subsidiary to a third party and recognized a pretax gain of $44 million on the sale in the third quarter of 2015, included in "Sundry income (expense) - net" in the consolidated statements of income and reflected in the Agricultural Sciences segment.

The Company previously held a variable interest in an owner trust, for which the Company was the primary beneficiary. The owner trust leased an ethylene production facility in The Netherlands to the Company, whereby substantially all of the rights and obligations of ownership were transferred to the Company. The Company’s variable interest in the owner trust related to a fixed purchase price option. On January 2, 2014, the Company purchased the ethylene production facility for $406 million. The Company classified $346 million as "Payments on long-term debt" and $60 million as "Purchases of noncontrolling interests" in the consolidated statements of cash flows.

The Company's consolidated financial statements include the assets, liabilities and results of operations of variable interest entities ("VIEs") for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. The other equity holders’ interests are reflected in "Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests" in the consolidated statements of income and "Noncontrolling interests" and "Accrued and other current liabilities" in the consolidated balance sheets. The following table summarizes the carrying amounts of these entities’ assets and liabilities included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2016 and 2015:



Assets and Liabilities of Consolidated VIEs at December 31 In millions	2016		2015
Cash and cash equivalents	$	75	$	158
Other current assets	95		112
Net property	961		1,717
Other noncurrent assets	55		65
Total assets (1)	$	1,186	$	2,052
Current liabilities (nonrecourse 2016: $286; 2015: $256)	$	286	$	258
Long-term debt (nonrecourse 2016: $330; 2015: $487)	330		504
Other noncurrent obligations (nonrecourse 2016: $47; 2015: $51)	47		51
Total liabilities	$	663	$	813


(1)	All assets were restricted at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

In addition, the Company holds a variable interest in an entity created to monetize accounts receivable of select European entities. This is the seventh entity for which the Company is the primary beneficiary and it results from the Company holding subordinated notes while maintaining servicing responsibilities for the accounts receivable. The carrying amounts of assets and liabilities included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets pertaining to this entity were current assets of $477 million (zero restricted) at December 31, 2016 ($103 million, zero restricted, at December 31, 2015) and current liabilities of less than $1 million (zero nonrecourse) at December 31, 2016 (less than $1 million, zero nonrecourse, at December 31, 2015).

Amounts presented in the consolidated balance sheets and the table above as restricted assets or nonrecourse obligations relating to consolidated VIEs at December 31, 2016 and 2015 are adjusted for intercompany eliminations and parental guarantees.

Nonconsolidated Variable Interest Entities

As a result of the DCC Transaction, the Company holds variable interests in Hemlock Semiconductor L.L.C. The variable interests relate to an equity interest held by the Company and arrangements between the Company and the joint venture to provide services. The Company is not the primary beneficiary, as it does not direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of this entity; therefore, the entity is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. At December 31, 2016, the Company had a negative investment basis of $902 million in this joint venture, which is classified as "Other noncurrent obligations" in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company's maximum exposure to loss was zero at December 31, 2016. See Note 9 for additional information on this variable interest entity.

Also as a result of the DCC Transaction, the Company holds minority voting interests in certain joint ventures that produce silicon inputs for the Company. These joint ventures operate under supply agreements that sell inventory to the equity owners using pricing mechanisms that guarantee a return, therefore shielding the joint ventures from the obligation to absorb expected losses. As a result of the pricing mechanisms of these agreements, these entities are determined to be variable interest entities. The Company is not the primary beneficiary, as it does not hold the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of these entities; therefore, the entities are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The Company's maximum exposure to loss as a result of its involvement with these variable interest entities is determined to be the carrying value of the investment in these entities. At December 31, 2016, the Company's investment in these joint ventures was $96 million and is classified as "Investment in nonconsolidated affiliates" in the consolidated balance sheets, representing the Company's maximum exposure to loss.

The Company holds a variable interest in a joint venture that manufactures crude acrylic acid in the United States and Germany on behalf of the Company and the other joint venture partner. The variable interest relates to a cost-plus arrangement between the joint venture and each joint venture partner. The Company is not the primary beneficiary, as a majority of the joint venture’s output is committed to the other joint venture partner; therefore, the entity is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. At December 31, 2016, the Company’s investment in the joint venture was $171 million ($160 million at December 31, 2015), classified as “Investment in nonconsolidated affiliates” in the consolidated balance sheets, representing the Company’s maximum exposure to loss.

The Company holds variable interests in AFSI, a company that produces and sells proprietary technologies for the horticultural market. The variable interests in AFSI relate to a sublease agreement between Dow and AFSI; a tax receivable agreement that entitles Dow to additional consideration in the form of tax savings, which is contingent on the operations and earnings of AFSI; and contingent consideration, which is subject to certain performance conditions. The Company is not the primary beneficiary, as Dow is a minority shareholder in AFSI and AFSI is governed by a board of directors, the composition of which is mandated by AFSI's corporate governance requirements that a majority of the directors be independent. At December 31, 2016, the Company's investment in AFSI was $46 million ($191 million at December 31, 2015), and is classified as "Investment in nonconsolidated affiliates" in the consolidated balance sheets. In the fourth quarter of 2016, as a result of a decline in the market value of AFSI, the Company recognized a $143 million pretax impairment charge related to its equity interest in AFSI (see Notes 9 and 12 for further information). In addition, the Company has a receivable with AFSI related to the tax receivable agreement of $12 million at December 31, 2016 (zero at December 31, 2015) and a receivable for six million warrants, valued at $1 million at December 31, 2016 ($6 million at December 31, 2015), which are classified as "Accounts and notes receivable - Other" in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company's maximum exposure to loss was $59 million at December 31, 2016 ($197 million at December 31, 2015).