Celanese and International Paper Collaborate with Ford to Win Environmental Award for Sustainable Materials in Automotive

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) in Automotive has recognized a joint development in sustainable thermoplastics by Celanese Corporation CE and International Paper with the Environmental Award for Sustainable Materials in Automotive for an application in the Ford Motor Company's 2018 Lincoln Continental luxury sedan. The award was given at the 2018 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala to honor the best companies in automotive plastics. The SPE Innovation Awards is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the automotive and plastics industries.

The industry-first application of composites combining cellulose fiber from trees with long-glass fiber in a polypropylene matrix resulted in significant cost savings achieved by reducing weight up to 25 percent per part. Implementing this solution achieved cycle time reductions of approximately 20-40 percent and significant energy savings resulting in an estimated 14 million kilograms of carbon dioxide reductions. Accounting for the largest single automotive part to date injected molded with sustainable plant-based composite materials, the center console carrier in the 2018 Lincoln Continental demonstrates that this natural and thermoplastic fiber blend can meet dimensional stability and component performance requirements while using existing tooling.

"This innovative solution from International Paper and Celanese will enable automakers to significantly reduce emissions through improvements in material production and light-weighting," said Verghese Thomas, Celanese's Chief Technology & Innovation Officer. "We're excited to continue collaborating with Ford to meet their sustainability goals."

"International Paper creates innovative, sustainable and recyclable products that help our customers achieve their objectives," said Russell Anawalt, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Global Cellulose Fibers. "We are thrilled that the collaboration with Ford and Celanese has enabled Ford to make lighter-weight parts using International Paper's THRIVE® composite to meet all of their specifications and requirements while receiving additional environmental benefits that are cost effective for both the molder and Ford."

Representatives of Celanese, International Paper, Ford and Summit Polymers (the Tier 1 supplier and toolmaker) accepted the award at the 2018 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala in Livonia, Michigan on November 7. Celanese also contributed to projects earning finalist recognitions in the Body Exterior and Body Interior categories.

To learn more about Celanese engineered materials and technical capabilities for the automotive industry, visit http://automotive.celanese.com/.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use the full breadth of Celanese's global chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,700 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of $6.1 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.

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