Celanese and SharpCell Oy Collaborate to Bring Carbon Capture and Utilization to Airlaid Nonwovens

Key Terms

carbon capture and utilization technical

A set of technologies and processes that capture carbon dioxide from industrial emissions or the air and convert it into useful products (like fuels, chemicals, or building materials) or store it safely so it won’t re-enter the atmosphere. Investors care because it can turn a pollution problem into a new revenue stream, reduce regulatory or carbon-cost risk, attract government subsidies or credits, and affect a company’s future costs, competitiveness and long-term value.

ccu technical

A CCU is a hospital ward that provides intensive monitoring and treatment for patients with life‑threatening conditions, most commonly serious heart problems; it is essentially an intensive care area focused on cardiac or other critical cases. Investors track CCU capacity and activity because it drives demand for specialized medical equipment, staffing, drugs and billing rates, so changes in CCU use or regulation can affect revenue and cost expectations for hospitals and healthcare suppliers.

vinyl acetate ethylene technical

Vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) is a type of plastic polymer made by combining two building blocks, vinyl acetate and ethylene, to form a flexible, water-dispersible resin used as a binder in paints, adhesives, coatings and packaging films. Investors care because VAE is a key ingredient in everyday construction and consumer products—changes in demand, raw material costs or production capacity for VAE can affect sales, margins and competitive position for manufacturers and downstream users, much like how a change in flour supply would matter to bakeries.

mass-balance accounting technical

Mass-balance accounting is a method companies use to track how much of a specific input (like recycled material, renewable feedstock, or regulated substance) goes into their overall production when that input is mixed with conventional inputs. Think of it like keeping a running tally when batches of different juices are blended so you can fairly claim how much “fruit” went into the final bottles. Investors care because it determines the credibility of sustainability claims, regulatory compliance, and potential reputational or financial risks tied to product labeling and supply-chain transparency.

nonwovens technical

Nonwovens are fabric-like materials made by bonding or entangling fibers rather than weaving or knitting them, producing products such as wipes, filters, medical gowns, diapers and insulation. Investors care because nonwovens are used across consumer, healthcare and industrial markets where steady demand, manufacturing scale, raw-material costs and regulatory rules can strongly affect sales and profit margins—think of them as disposable or specialized ‘paper-like’ fabrics that drive recurring revenue.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global specialty materials and chemical company, and SharpCell Oy, a Finnish family-owned company producing high quality airlaid materials, today announced their cooperation to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology in Celanese binders.

Pioneering in the airlaid nonwovens industry, SharpCell Oy is creating lower carbon footprint nonwoven materials for the production of everyday articles such as table tops, wipes, and hygiene products with ingredients manufactured with carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions captured from industrial processes using CCU technology.

“Celanese can uniquely turn CO₂ emissions into a range of chemistries, and we are excited to add airlaid nonwovens to the list of products benefiting from CCU,” said Kevin Norfleet, Senior Director, Global Sustainability at Celanese. “We are delighted to work with SharpCell to both increase circular content and further reduce the carbon footprint of everyday essential products.”

Celanese uses CCU-based chemical building blocks at its Clear Lake, Texas, facility for vinyl acetate ethylene binders, an integral component in the production of binder-bonded airlaid nonwovens. The resulting nonwoven products offer a lower product carbon footprint (PCF) than conventional nonwoven products and contribute to more sustainable fiber-based products without compromising product quality. CCU and conventional fossil-fuel based feedstocks are commingled but separately accounted for using a process called mass-balance accounting.

Using CCU binder technology in SharpCell’s airlaid nonwovens is projected to utilize over 400 metric tons of captured CO₂ annually. According to the US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, this is comparable to the emissions from burning approximately 45,000 gallons of gasoline.

“Integrating Celanese’s CCU-based binders into our airlaid production is yet another strong commitment to more sustainable product solutions that we offer to our customers,” said Pekka Pollari, CEO at SharpCell. “We’re honored to be the first airlaid manufacturer to implement Celanese’s innovations and see it as a significant step forward in our pursuit of a more sustainable industry.”

For more information about ECO-CC and Celanese’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.celanese.com. For more information about SharpCell’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.sharpcell.fi/sustainability.

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 Corporation is a Fortune 500 company that employs more than 11,000 employees worldwide with 2025 net sales of $9.5 billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain “forward-looking statements,” which include information concerning Celanese’s plans, objectives, goals, strategies, financial condition, and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words “projects,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “will,” and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. There can be no assurance that Celanese will realize these expectations or that these beliefs will prove correct. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond Celanese’s control, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed as forward-looking statements. These factors include those that are discussed in Celanese’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and Celanese undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances.

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Celanese Contacts:

Investor Relations
Bill Cunningham
+1 972 443 4730
william.cunningham@celanese.com

Media Relations – Global
Jamaison Schuler
+1 972 443 4400
media@celanese.com

Media Relations – Europe
Petra Czugler
+49 69 45009 1206
petra.czugler@celanese.com

Media Relations – Asia
Maria Xia
+86 21 3861 9368
maria.xia@celanese.com

Source: Celanese Corporation