Kraton Polymers Roof Coating Formulation Achieves Best-in-Class Reflectance and Emittance Test Results as Company Pursues Energy Star Rating

News provided by

Dec 16, 2010, 08:00 ET

HOUSTON, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers or "SBCs," announced that its elastomeric roof coating formulation containing Kraton G1643, an SBC, completed a major milestone towards achieving the ENERGY STAR rating—the trusted, government-backed symbol for products that are energy efficient, cost-effective and sustainable.

A roof coating's ability to reflect and emit solar heat away from a building is essential to keeping the building cool and is a prerequisite to achieving the ENERGY STAR rating. Kraton Polymers tested the reflectance and emittance of its G1643 elastomeric roof coating formulation using ASTM C1549 and ASTM C1371 standards. The results indicated reflectance of 0.89, and emittance of 0.88, respectively, which are considered best in class when compared to other roof coatings formulations in the market today. Reflectance and emittance properties are measured on a scale of 0 - 1.0 where 1.0 is the most reflective or emissive according to the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC). The ENERGY STAR program also uses these standards to evaluate the energy efficiency of elastomeric roof coatings.

"Many Kraton customers who use G1643 have successfully achieved the ENERGY STAR rating in their elastomeric roof coating formulations. We attribute this to the superior reflectance and remittance properties of our polymer and fully expect G1643 to achieve the designation once testing is finalized in three years," said Mark Siebert, Vice President, Adhesives, Sealants and Coatings. "Our elastomeric roof coating formulation also offers great dirt pick-up resistance when compared to typical acrylic roof coatings formulations. This equates to better reflectance over the life of a roof, which allows roof coating manufacturers to develop a product that outperforms competing technologies," he concluded.

Roof coating formulations containing Kraton G1643 can reduce the total cost of installation and offer a fast cure coating that works better in cold, humid, or wet conditions. They can withstand ponding water, provide excellent adhesion to all types of roofing substrates, are ideal for low slope roofs (or high traffic areas), and deliver excellent reflectance to reduce energy costs, and extend the life of a roof. Customers who use Kraton G1643 can be assured that they are delivering the best total solution for energy savings and protection in elastomeric roof coating applications.

For additional information regarding Kraton G1643 in elastomeric roof coatings applications, please contact Jason Surman at [email protected].

About Kraton

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries, is a leading global producer of engineered polymers and, we believe, the world's largest producer of styrenic block copolymers ("SBCs"), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered by us almost fifty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic elastomers, which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength, durability and processability. Our polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products. We currently offer approximately 800 products to more than 700 customers in over 60 countries worldwide, and are the only SBC producer with manufacturing and service capabilities on four continents. We manufacture products at five plants globally, including our flagship plant in Belpre, Ohio, as well as plants in Germany, France and Brazil, and a joint venture plant operated in Japan.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, Cariflex, Nexar and the "Giving Innovators their Edge" tagline are all trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements," which are statements other than statements of historical fact and are often characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in "Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors" contained in our Annual Report on 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and as subsequently updated in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and include risks related to: conditions in the global economy and capital markets; our reliance on LyondellBasell Industries for the provision of significant operating and other services; the failure of our raw materials suppliers to perform their obligations under long-term supply agreements, or our inability to replace or renew these agreements when they expire; limitations in the availability of raw materials we need to produce our products in the amounts or at the prices necessary for us to effectively and profitably operate our business; competition in our end-use markets, by other producers of SBCs and by producers of products that can be substituted for our products; our ability to produce and commercialize technological innovations; our ability to protect our intellectual property, on which our business is substantially dependent; infringement of our products on the intellectual property rights of others; seasonality in our Paving and Roofing business; financial and operating constraints related to our substantial level of indebtedness; product liability claims and other lawsuits arising from environmental damage or personal injuries associated with chemical manufacturing; political and economic risks in the various countries in which we operate; the inherently hazardous nature of chemical manufacturing; health, safety and environmental laws, including laws that govern our employees' exposure to chemicals deemed harmful to humans; regulation of our customers, which could affect the demand for our products or result in increased compliance costs; international trade, export control, antitrust, zoning and occupancy and labor and employment laws that could require us to modify our current business practices and incur increased costs; our relationship with our employees; loss of key personnel or our inability to attract and retain new qualified personnel; fluctuations in currency exchange rates ; the fact that we do not enter into long-term contracts with our customers; a decrease in the fair value of our pension assets, which could require us to materially increase future funding of the pension plan; and concentration of ownership among our principal stockholder, which may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such information.