Celanese and SharpCell Oy partner to integrate carbon capture into airlaid nonwovens

Celanese utilizes Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technology to produce lower-carbon vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) binders

Celanese Corporation is partnering with Finnish airlaid material producer SharpCell Oy to lower greenhouse gas emissions by incorporating carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology into their binders. This collaboration aims to create more sustainable airlaid products by utilizing captured industrial CO2 in Celanese binder systems.

As a leader in airlaid nonwovens, SharpCell Oy is slashing the carbon footprint of everyday items. By using CCU technology to repurpose industrial CO2 emissions, they produce eco-friendly materials for hygiene, tabletop, and wiping applications.

“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.”

At its Clear Lake, Texas facility, Celanese utilizes Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technology to produce lower-carbon vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) binders, which are vital components for manufacturing sustainable, binder-bonded airlaid nonwovens. By incorporating these CCU-based building blocks—which convert captured industrial CO2 emissions into sustainable chemical feedstock—the resulting airlaid products offer a reduced product carbon footprint (PCF) without compromising quality. Through mass-balance accounting, Celanese tracks these captured-carbon inputs alongside conventional feedstocks to offer sustainable solutions to their customers.

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.”