What is the expected GDP growth across key end markets for the year 2021, according to the company 
 to enable sustainable, flexible film packaging with recycled content. Our actions to advance plastic circularity are value-accretive to Dow. And our differentiated product slate, downstream knowledge, intimacy with consumer brands and strategic partnerships give us a leading-edge to capture this growth.
Turning to Slide 9. As Howard mentioned, Dow remains well-positioned to benefit from improving industry and market conditions. We see several positive leading indicators, including momentum and job growth, consumer spending, a return to air travel and expanding manufacturing and industrial activity for global manufacturing PMIs at a 15-year high in March. These trends are further supported by government stimulus measures and accelerating vaccine rollouts globally.
The spending elements of the U.S. infrastructure plan, if passed, will further support growth in our downstream markets. Similarly, incentives aligned to more sustainable energy solutions should be beneficial to our business and to attaining our own sustainability targets. These programs are not currently included in our assumptions, but could drive additional growth if enacted in a manner that supports manufacturing competitiveness.
These macro trends translate into a one to two times GDP growth across key end markets, including packaging, infrastructure, mobility, consumer durables and industrials and home and personal care. Given this backdrop, we see demand in our key value chains continuing to outpace supply throughout 2021 and staying balanced in the near-term across ethylene, polyethylene, polyurethanes, acrylics and silicones chains. Some industry views call for softening conditions in the near term, largely based on their view of planned capacity additions. However, these views do not account for industry project delays or cancellations nor do they account for the maintenance activity or reliability impact from weather-related events like the winter storm.
Industry delays and cancellations of planned capacity additions, along with elevated demand growth as the global economy continues to reopen will likely lead to tighter than predicted market conditions, all of which will result in continued earnings, margin and cash flow growth for our core businesses and joint ventures in the near term. And while we capture these improved earnings over the next several years in our core businesses, our current slate of lower capital, faster payback and higher return capacity expansions will add nearly $1 billion of accretive earnings to our bottom line. Dow's points of distinction continue to raise our earnings and cash flow potential relative to peers. The market growth we expect in our business, combined with our industry-leading feedstock flexibility, global scale and advantaged cost positions, our top quartile cash generation and our innovation and leadership in high-growth end markets enable Dow to continue to deliver value for our owners through 2021 and over the foreseeable future.
With that, I'll turn it back to Pankaj to open the Q&A.
Pankaj Gupta -- Director, Investor Relations
Thank you, Jim. Now let's move on to your questions. I would like to remind you that our forward-looking statements apply to both our prepared remarks and the following Q&A. Operator, please provide the Q&A instructions.
Questions & Answers:
Operator
[Operator instructions] And we'll move to our first question from David Begleiter with Deutsche Bank.
David Begleiter -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst
Thank you. Good morning. Jim and Howard, in plastics, how are you thinking about sequential earnings improvement here? Given the price margin growth we are seeing, can you get to $2 billion of EBITDA in Q2? Is that possible?
Jim Fitterling -- Chairman and Chief Executive Chairman
Good morning, David. As you noted, obviously, we continue to see strong demand growth in plastics. And if you look at our sales, we're looking at 3% to 7% higher sales in the quarter. And obviously, operating rates should be much improved given that we won't have the impact of Winter Storm Uri.
We do have some turnaro
 to enable sustainable, flexible film packaging with recycled content. Our actions to advance plastic circularity are value-accretive to Dow. And our differentiated product slate, downstream knowledge, intimacy with consumer brands and strategic partnerships give us a leading-edge to capture this growth.
Turning to Slide 9. As Howard mentioned, Dow remains well-positioned to benefit from improving industry and market conditions. We see several positive leading indicators, including momentum and job growth, consumer spending, a return to air travel and expanding manufacturing and industrial activity for global manufacturing PMIs at a 15-year high in March. These trends are further supported by government stimulus measures and accelerating vaccine rollouts globally.
The spending elements of the U.S. infrastructure plan, if passed, will further support growth in our downstream markets. Similarly, incentives aligned to more sustainable energy solutions should be beneficial to our business and to attaining our own sustainability targets. These programs are not currently included in our assumptions, but could drive additional growth if enacted in a manner that supports manufacturing competitiveness.
These macro trends translate into a one to two times GDP growth across key end markets, including packaging, infrastructure, mobility, consumer durables and industrials and home and personal care. Given this backdrop, we see demand in our key value chains continuing to outpace supply throughout 2021 and staying balanced in the near-term across ethylene, polyethylene, polyurethanes, acrylics and silicones chains. Some industry views call for softening conditions in the near term, largely based on their view of planned capacity additions. However, these views do not account for industry project delays or cancellations nor do they account for the maintenance activity or reliability impact from weather-related events like the winter storm.
 Industry delays and cancellations of planned capacity additions, along with elevated demand growth as the global economy continues to reopen will likely lead to tighter than predicted market conditions, all of which will result in continued earnings, margin and cash flow growth for our core businesses and joint ventures in the near term. And while we capture these improved earnings over the next several years in our core businesses, our current slate of lower capital, faster payback and higher return capacity expansions will add nearly $1 billion of accretive earnings to our bottom line. Dow's points of distinction continue to raise our earnings and cash flow potential relative to peers. The market growth we expect in our business, combined with our industry-leading feedstock flexibility, global scale and advantaged cost positions, our top quartile cash generation and our innovation and leadership in high-growth end markets enable Dow to continue to deliver value for our owners through 2021 and over the foreseeable future.
With that, I'll turn it back to Pankaj to open the Q&A.
Pankaj Gupta -- Director, Investor Relations
Thank you, Jim. Now let's move on to your questions. I would like to remind you that our forward-looking statements apply to both our prepared remarks and the following Q&A. Operator, please provide the Q&A instructions.
Questions & Answers:
Operator
[Operator instructions] And we'll move to our first question from David Begleiter with Deutsche Bank.
David Begleiter -- Deutsche Bank -- Analyst
Thank you. Good morning. Jim and Howard, in plastics, how are you thinking about sequential earnings improvement here? Given the price margin growth we are seeing, can you get to $2 billion of EBITDA in Q2? Is that possible?
Jim Fitterling -- Chairman and Chief Executive Chairman
Good morning, David. As you noted, obviously, we continue to see strong demand growth in plastics. And if you look at our sales, we're looking at 3% to 7% higher sales in the quarter. And obviously, operating rates should be much improved given that we won't have the impact of Winter Storm Uri.
We do have some turnaro