Trinseo reports higher earnings, environmental improvements

Berwyn, Pennsylvania – Plastics, latex and synthetic rubber manufacturer Trinseo LLC reported both stronger earnings and reductions in its environmental footprint in the 2017 sustainability and corporate social responsibility report.

"(The report) showcases how Trinseo is meeting or exceeding the highest standards of safety and environmental performance, and developing innovative solutions that benefit our world," the company said.

Since its first report in 2011, Trinseo said it has achieved environmental improvements in the following areas:

•           Total waste, down 59%;

•           Volatile organic chemical emissions, down 50%;

•           Greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by Trinseo, down 25%; and

•           Electricity usage, down 9%.

The company also its lowest recordable injury rate of 0.07.

Trinseo's report also outlines how its products help customers improve their own sustainability in areas such as vehicle lightweighting to improve fuel efficiency, green tire technology, medical device design flexibility and parts consolidation, home appliance manufacturing and light-emitting diode (LED) horticulture lighting.

"At Trinseo, our commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility is innate to our culture, and every employee plays a crucial role in advancing our mission to improve the world around us," Chris Pappas, Trinseo's president and CEO, said in a statement.

For the fiscal year ended 31 Dec, Trinseo posted net income of $318 million (€271 millio), up 41.3% from the $225 million recorded in full-year 2015, the company said. Earnings per share jumped 145.4% for the year, to $6.70 from $2.73.

The company also recorded several new product releases and production expansions. The new products included Emerge 8830 LT Advanced Resin, a transparent polycarbonate for the lighting market; Pulse XT PC-ABS products for exterior automotive applications; Styron X-Tech 2175 polystyrene resin for the home appliance market; and Styron 2678 MED polystyrene resin for medical packaging, diagnostic components, Petri dishes, test tubes and pipettes.

Production expansions listed in the report were:

•           Expanding custom compounding for global production and fulfilling Calibre polycarbonate resins in Asia Pacific for the medical market;

•           Breaking ground at a new research and development facility in Terneuzen, the Netherlands; and

•           Expanding capacity for solution styrene-butadiene rubber to meet growing demand; and

•           Building a new SSBR pilot plant in Schkopau, Germany, that is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Trinseo's full sustainability report can be found online at trinseo.com/sustainability.