Author: William Foreman

HOUSTON – Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals company, announced today it has maintained a Gold medal rating from EcoVadis and ranks among the top 2% of the companies assessed by the organization in a wide range of sustainability areas.

Orion improved its score from the previous year, moving up from 77% to 78% by making significant gains in the areas of sustainable procurement and ethics, according to EcoVadis, one of the world’s largest providers of business sustainability ratings.

“The annual progress Orion is making in the EcoVadis assessments is just another example of how committed we are to being a trusted partner for all our stakeholders and becoming an even more sustainable company,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said.

Over the past year, Orion has achieved several sustainability milestones. The most notable achievements include the completion of a series of four projects, with a total cost of more than $300 million, that involved installing technology that is substantially reducing emissions at Orion’s U.S. plants.

The company also continues to be a leader in developing circular products and recently received €6.4 million in funding from the German government and European Union to further develop technology to improve the production of carbon black using circular feedstocks.

About Orion Engineered Carbons

Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has innovation centers on three continents and 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information, other than as required by applicable law.

Contacts:

William Foreman

Director of Corporate Communications and

Government Affairs

Orion Engineered Carbons

Direct: +1 832-445-3305

Mobile: +1 281-889-7833

[email protected]

Wendy Wilson

Head of Investor Relations

Orion Engineered Carbons

Direct: +1 281-974-0155

[email protected]

HOUSTON – Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals producer, announced today it has completed upgrading its air emissions control technology at all four of its U.S. carbon black plants – the biggest sustainability-related initiative in the company’s history.

The company recently finished its final air emissions project at its plant in Belpre, Ohio. Previously, the company upgraded its Borger, Texas; Ivanhoe, Louisiana; and Orange, Texas, facilities.

The upgrades were part of an initiative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that applied to all carbon black producers in America. The projects were especially challenging for Orion because it has more carbon black plants in the U.S. than any other company. Despite suffering from contractor issues, COVID-19 and supply-chain disruptions, Orion finished its projects ahead of some of its competitors.

“Our difficult journey to make our facilities run cleaner is now completed. Looking forward, we are entering an exciting new era as we focus more on investing in profitable growth, reducing debt and returning value to shareholders,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said.

“Central to our growth strategy, Orion will continue to invest in sustainability-linked projects,” Painter added. “This will include producing conductive materials for lithium-ion batteries and developing products for the circular economy.”

With a slower recovery in end markets and downtime as a result of Orion’s final EPA project, the company expects 2023 results to land at the lower end of its Adjusted EBITDA guidance range of $330 million to $340 million. While demand is recovering, it is building slower than expected in many markets.

“We are projecting our fourth year in a row of earnings growth in 2024 and expect the rate to be similar to 2023, which was a mid-single digit EBITDA increase,” Painter said.

About Orion S.A.

Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has four innovation centers and produces carbon black at 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information, other than as required by applicable law.

Contacts:

William Foreman

Orion S.A.

Director of Corporate Communications and Government Affairs

[email protected]

Direct: +1 832-445-3305

Wendy Wilson

Orion S.A.

Head of Investor Relations

[email protected]

+1 281-974-0155

HOUSTON – Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a specialty chemicals producer, announced today a fourth plant has earned International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS). The company now leads its industry with the number of certified carbon black production sites.

Orion’s facility in Cologne, Germany, was the company’s latest plant to pass extensive audits confirming the site’s compliance with rigorous ISCC PLUS sustainability requirements. The plant was certified for producing circular and bio-circular raw materials.

“Orion has long been a leading innovator developing circular solutions and sustainable products for customers,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “ISCC PLUS verifies the transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials in our value chain. It also shows our dedication to sustainability.”

Last year, Orion was the first to achieve ISCC PLUS for multiple carbon black grades made from different feedstocks at plants in two regions of the world. The facilities were in Borger, Texas; Belpre, Ohio; and Jaslo, Poland. The three facilities were recertified this year.

“In addition to recognizing the sustainable grades for rubber applications produced in the three plants, the certification of our Cologne plant is an important milestone for Orion’s sustainability efforts because the facility produces a wide variety of specialty products for several applications, including batteries, coatings, printing and polymers,” Painter said.

A decade ago, Orion was the first major producer to develop and commercialize carbon black made from renewable feedstocks, such as industrial-grade vegetable oils or other oils derived from waste and residues of biological origin from agriculture or forestry.

Orion is also the only carbon black producer in the BlackCycle initiative, an EU-funded project focused on developing the production of circular carbon black.

The ISCC PLUS certification is granted by the Cologne-based ISCC Association, which promotes the sustainable production of biomass, circular and bio-based materials and renewables.

About Orion S.A.

Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability, and add UV protection. Orion has innovation centers on three continents and 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information, other than as required by applicable law.

Contacts:

William Foreman

Director of Corporate Communications and

Government Affairs

Orion S.A.

Direct: +1 832-445-3305

Mobile: +1 281-889-7833

[email protected]

Wendy Wilson

Head of Investor Relations

Orion S.A.

Direct: +1 281-974-0155

[email protected]

By Corning Painter

We can think of air emission controls at chemical plants as filters that catch targeted materials from a stack like the way a coffee filter holds back the grounds.

The analogy does a great job describing the technology’s function with basic language. However, the comparison fails to convey the complexity and enormity of the systems that Orion S.A. has installed at our U.S. plants over the past five years – our biggest sustainability-related initiative in the company’s history. Indeed, it is simply our largest project since we became Orion.

As we come close to completing the undertaking, I thought this was a great time to share a few reflections about how significant finishing the air emissions projects will be for the environment and Orion’s continued investment in sustainability and growth.

I am sure most people who are not familiar with the carbon black business – and even many industry insiders – would be amazed at how massive and complex the controls equipment is. It is one of those things you need to see in person to fully appreciate.

I will always remember a recent visit to our plant in Ivanhoe, Louisiana, when I climbed the 150-foot structure that is part of the new system installed at the facility. From the platform, I could look out and see miles and miles of sugar cane fields and other farmland stretching far into the distance. Just below me, the hulking, gleaming components of our system – including a thermal oxidizer, waste heat recovery boiler and huge catalytic beds – took up large areas of space in the middle of our production equipment. At the edge I could see the new cogeneration equipment that a partner company is installing to generate electricity from our steam.

One of my colleagues aptly observed that the Ivanhoe project was like building a separate chemical plant inside of an operating carbon black production facility. At the Louisiana plant, Orion was the first in the carbon black industry to install technology that captured emissions and converted them to sulfuric acid, the world’s largest volume industrial chemical, ranging in use from fertilizers to traditional car batteries.  It was a major milestone in Orion’s commitment to developing circular solutions for our waste streams.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately as we near the end of an extremely arduous journey that began when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency directed all the carbon black producers in the U.S. to reduce nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions.

Orion reached an agreement with the EPA in December 2017 about how to proceed with the project and began upgrading the emissions control systems at its four U.S. plants.

Frankly, the mandate created colossal challenges for us – both financial and technical. No other carbon black producer has as many plants in the U.S. as Orion does. With four facilities in the country, installing the systems would involve a massive price tag – about $300 million.

Adding to the burden, Orion was still a relatively new and very lean company, carved out of the German chemical company Evonik Industries just a few years before. The scale of these projects was huge for us. Ivanhoe alone was larger than either of our greenfield projects in Huaibei, China, or La Porte, Texas. We were not initially geared up for the challenge.

Building such emissions-controls systems is a huge task during normal times. And we all know the past three years have been far from normal!

Just as we were in the middle of the five-year initiative, the Covid-19 pandemic began ravaging the world, disrupting our suppliers and steady progress. Supply chain disruptions increased costs and limited the availability of building materials or delayed deliveries.

I am extremely proud that our entire team stayed committed to the goal. It is times like these when companies can show they are serious about their core values and actually live them. And that is exactly what Orion did.

We value accountability, and for us that means putting safety first and adhering to the highest standards of integrity. Innovation is another core value, and in this case, it was about finding ways to limit our emissions. Finally, building enduring relationships is our third value. For us, this includes being a positive member of our communities.

We finished our first EPA project in 2020 at our plant in Orange, Texas. The second one was commissioned in Ivanhoe in late 2021.

Most recently, our facility in Borger, Texas, was upgraded in late 2022 with a system that reduces nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions by 90 percent, a decrease that amounts to about 23 total metric tons per day. Our final project in Belpre, Ohio, is on track to be completed in 2023.

Finishing the work will be a huge milestone for Orion. We will continue to make other major investments in sustainability-linked projects: water conservation, lithium-ion battery materials, circular economy and research focused on one of the biggest challenges in our industry – CO2 emissions. The solutions we are working hard to develop go beyond the ongoing efforts to improve yield and efficiency. They include the exploration and use of alternative feedstocks, alternative fuels, alternative production technologies, cogeneration and carbon capture and storage options.

These projects will create a virtuous cycle where our investments generate cash, which in turn fuels future investments and the transformation of our company.

All of us at Orion can look back at the past five years and feel an extreme amount of pride. We stayed committed during intensely trying times and honored our agreement to make our facilities cleaner, leading to a big impact for the environment and health in our communities.

If you think of yourself as an ESG investor, I encourage you to consider an investment in a company like Orion that is working to transform the footprint of an essential material. In fields like this, you can be a true impact investor.

Corning Painter is the CEO of Orion S.A.