Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials and chemical company, today announced it has received the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award, which recognizes exemplary products, technologies and initiatives that help advance sustainability.

Celanese earned the award in the “Circularity” category for its active carbon capture and utilization (CCU) project at its Clear Lake, Texas, manufacturing site as part of its Fairway Methanol joint venture with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The project is expected to capture 180,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) industrial emissions and produce 130,000 metric tons of low-carbon methanol annually.

“Our vision at Celanese is to improve the world and everyday life through our people, chemistry and innovation and this award is a huge honor for us,” said Lori Ryerkerk, CEO of Celanese. “This CCU project is a strong example of how our talented teams are using the building blocks of chemistry to create a new solution that is now helping our customers reach sustainability goals and targets that were previously out of reach.”

The CCU project takes CO2 industrial emissions that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere from both Celanese and third-party sources and applies reduced-carbon-intensity hydrogen to chemically convert the captured CO2 into a methanol building block used for downstream production. This low-carbon input is then used to reduce traditional fossil fuel-based raw materials to produce a wide range of ECO-CC products that can benefit most major industries. The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) also recently certified Low Carbon CCU (carbon capture and utilization) Methanol under the ISCC Carbon Footprint Certification (CFC) system.

“We are honored to receive this incredible recognition from ACC,” said Mark Murray, senior vice president, Acetyls at Celanese. “Our teams have worked hard to enable us to provide sustainable solutions that are being explored across a number of industries and we’re excited for what’s ahead for both this technology and our customers that will utilize ECO-CC products to move toward a circular economy.”

ACC’s Sustainability Leadership Awards honor member companies for their achievements and contributions to sustainability across the following four priority areas: Product Safety, Innovation & Transparency, Environmental Protection, Circularity and Social Responsibility & Community Engagement. ACC convened a judging panel made up of external sustainability leaders from academia, nonprofit and media sectors to review and select the award winners. The judging panel chose winning initiatives based on a range of factors, including the level of innovation the initiative demonstrated, the scope and reach of its impacts and the extent to which it addresses priorities outlined in ACC’s Sustainability Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about CCU technology at Celanese, watch our video or visit www.celanese.com/en/sustainability-offerings.

About Celanese

Celanese is a global leader in chemistry, producing specialty material solutions used across most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use our chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees and shareholders. We support sustainability by responsibly managing the materials we create and growing our portfolio of sustainable products to meet customer and societal demand. We strive to make a positive impact in our communities and to foster inclusivity across our teams. Celanese is a Fortune 500 company that employs approximately 12,400 employees worldwide with 2023 net sales of $10.9 billion.

About Mitsui

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (8031: JP) is a global trading and investment company with a presence in more than 60 countries and a diverse business portfolio covering a wide range of industries. Mitsui identifies, develops, and grows its businesses in partnership with a global network of trusted partners including world leading companies, combining its geographic and cross-industry strengths to create long-term sustainable value for its stakeholders.

Mitsui has set three key strategic initiatives for its current Medium-term Management Plan: supporting industries to grow and evolve with stable supplies of resources and materials, and providing infrastructure; promoting a global transition to low-carbon and renewable energy; and empowering people to lead healthy lives through the delivery of quality healthcare and access to good nutrition. Visit www.mitsui.com for more information.

About Fairway Methanol LLC

The Clear Lake methanol unit was commissioned in October 2015 as a joint venture between Celanese and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The unit utilizes abundant, low-cost natural gas in the U.S. Gulf Coast region as a feedstock. The joint venture operates as Fairway Methanol LLC, with both Celanese and Mitsui maintaining a 50/50 ownership.

About ACC

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the multibillion-dollar business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products, technologies and services that make people’s lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health, safety and security performance through Responsible Care®; common sense advocacy addressing major public policy issues; and health and environmental research and product testing. ACC members and chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development, and are advancing products, processes and technologies to address climate change, enhance air and water quality, and progress toward a more sustainable, circular economy.

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