At LANXESS, innovation also means environmental protection and sustainability. The specialty chemicals group uses high-tech products and cutting-edge manufacturing processes to show how the chemical industry can benefit mankind and the environment alike.

With its solution SBR rubber KA 8955 for tire treads, for example, LANXESS provides a material that fulfils the growing requirements of tire manufacturers, so that they in turn can meet the permanently increasing expectations of car drivers. This material demonstrates excellent grip qualities and abrasion resistance, a fact that significantly reduces road resistance, thus lowering fuel consumption and cutting CO2 emissions.

Hybrid technology combines plastics and metals and opens up new horizons in the automotive industry for reducing weight. LANXESS developed this technology, holds the patents and now provides the ideal material in the form of its plastic Durethan. Being up to 15 percent lighter, this material can be used to manufacture bodywork parts that are lightweight, yet retain the necessary stiffness. The reduction in weight leads to energy savings and thus helps protect the climate and preserve resources.

China’s environmental authority has repeatedly recognized LANXESS’s Wuxi facility as an outstanding example of ecologically sound production. In 2005, the Chinese government honored the facility by issuing a special postage stamp. China’s Premier Wen Jiabao paid a visit to the site in 2007 and was able to witness the ongoing commitment to reducing energy consumption and waste volumes.

Shanghai, April 17, 2008