OREANDA-NEWS. On April 13, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will present Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global technology and specialty materials company, with the prestigious 2016 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award, the highest level of EPA recognition. The award recognizes industrial companies that perform at a superior level of energy management across their organizations.

Of the 17 Industrial Partner of the Year Awards, Celanese is among four new winners. This is the first year Celanese is eligible for the award. The EPA selects honorees through an application process from its more than 7,400 commercial and industrial ENERGY STAR partners.

“We joined this prestigious group of environmental leaders to strengthen our sustainability efforts and to preserve the environment for future generations, and we are honored by the recognition,” said Pat Quarles, executive vice president and president, Acetyl Chain, with responsibility over Celanese’s environmental health and safety efforts. “It takes tremendous commitment to achieve this honor and I commend every Celanese employee for making sustained energy improvements a priority each and every day.”

Celanese joined the ENERGY STAR program at the Partner level in November 2014. In 2015, Celanese has driven environmental stewardship through continuous energy improvement with key initiatives including:

  • Implemented more than 150 energy reduction projects saving over $17 million in energy costs;
  • Converted from coal to a gas-fired steam boiler system resulting in substantial greenhouse gas, waste and air pollutant emission reductions at the company’s Narrows, Va., facility;
  • Completed construction and start-up of a state-of-the-art, energy efficient methanol unit at the company’s Clear Lake, Texas facility with an annual capacity of 1.3 million metric tons that lowers the overall Celanese energy intensity;
  • Added energy optimization operator dashboards in five facilities worldwide to improve operator energy engagement and optimize energy use;
  • Used customized 20KEYS Energy Management System (EMS) in coordination with the ENERGY STAR Management Assessment Matrix to evaluate EMS at Celanese sites;
  • Held ENERGY STAR “treasure hunts” where employees identified more than 500 energy reduction opportunities and $3 million in energy savings in four Mexico and U.S. facilities.

The company’s focus on continuously reducing its environmental footprint is centered on reducing emissions, waste generation and energy consumption. The efforts have lowered energy intensity across all manufacturing sites by more than 8 percent from 2010 to 2015, and by more than 29 percent since 2005. There are more than 190 additional energy reduction projects identified for 2016 with estimated savings of approximately $20 million.

“Improving the world is one of the six fundamental values that motivate Celanese employees to be actively involved in working safely, developing safe products and contributing to environmental sustainability,” stated Quarles. “As our employees instill these values into their daily work, we see these efforts are not only good for our business, but also good for the environment in which our employees live and work.”

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 two complementary business cores, Acetyl Chain and Materials Solutions, use the full breadth of Celanese’s global chemistry, technology and business expertise to create value for our customers 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 7,000 employees worldwide and had 2015 net sales of $5.7 billion.