Huntsman Textile Effects and Genencor Announce Life Cycle Assessment Results on GENTLE POWER BLEACH™

Potential saving: 10 trillion liters of freshwater and 30 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year

SINGAPORE and PALO ALTO, Calif., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntsman Textile Effects and Genencor, a division of Denmark-based Danisco A/S, today announced the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on GENTLE POWER BLEACH™, a bleaching system introduced into the textile pretreatment market in March 2009. As opposed to conventional bleaching systems, GENTLE POWER BLEACH™ contains unique, first-to-market enzymatic bleaching technology from Genencor, a leading solutions provider in industrial biotechnology.

"Although the cotton pretreatment processing parameters will differ across the globe, we found a substantial advantage for GENTLE POWER BLEACH™ among each of the many environmental impact categories that we tracked," says Jon Dettling, U.S. Director for Quantis International, the organization that performed the LCA. "For instance, the LCA concludes that if the relative benefits of GENTLE POWER BLEACH™ were applied to the roughly 26 million tons of cotton produced globally [a 2007-2008 statistic], the savings in freshwater consumption globally could be in the range of 10 trillion liters of water annually, which is more than 1000 liters annually for each person on earth. This result depends strongly on the available information regarding cotton irrigation, but nevertheless illustrates the large potential benefits of the technology. Significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions are another benefit of this process.  It is estimated that GENTLE POWER BLEACH™ has the potential to reduce global CO2 emissions by 10-30 million metric tons annually," Dettling adds.

"As outlined last year, Genencor is dedicated to delivering innovative industrial biotechnology solutions which foresee the changing needs of our customers. At the same time, we are pushing the envelope to deliver solutions that also significantly contribute to more sustainable business practices," commented Glenn E. Nedwin, Executive Vice President of the Technical Enzymes business unit at Genencor. "The results of the LCA clearly demonstrate the impact and relevance of enzymatic alternatives to existing technologies for the textile processing industry – reducing water and energy usage while increasing performance – a win/win for the industry."

"Both companies see this technology as a critical step towards a more sustainable textile processing industry," adds Paul Hulme, President from Huntsman Textile Effects. "Our vision is much aligned with the one from Genencor, and that is that we need alternative solutions today to tackle the critical challenges that future generations will face if we don't act now. The LCA proves that we are heading in the right direction. But there's more work to be done in the field of more sustainable textile processing as both consumers and merchandisers are increasingly demanding more responsible practices from the industry."

The LCA is the first of its kind, as it is related to enzymatic bleaching solutions for the textile processing industry. It is ISO 14044 compliant, as it has undergone an external expert peer review. In addition, the results were validated in production, using existing production sites and processes.

Note: Report available upon request.

About Huntsman:

Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals.  Its operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging.  Originally known for pioneering innovations in packaging and, later, for rapid and integrated growth in petrochemicals, Huntsman today has more than 11,000 employees and operates from multiple locations worldwide.  The Company had 2009 revenues of approximately $8 billion.  For more information about Huntsman, please visit the Company's website at www.huntsman.com.

About Genencor:

Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, is a world leader in industrial biotechnology and a pioneer in enzyme innovation. Genencor improves process and product performance for a spectrum of industries, from biofuels and laundry detergents to textile processing, animal nutrition and food. As part of a large global organization, Genencor has a manufacturing and distribution network that spans more than 40 countries. In collaboration with customers, technology leaders and other stakeholders, Genencor supplies competitive, biobased solutions. These innovations create value throughout the supply chain, from raw material to finished product. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.genencor.com. For more information on Genencor's suite of products targeted at more sustainable textile processing, please visit www.primagreen.org.

About Quantis:

A spin-off from two major engineering schools, the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Quantis benefits from having among the best experts in Life Cycle Assessment while maintaining close ties with university research. With its network of international experts, its strategic research collaborations and its offices in Switzerland (Lausanne), France (Paris and Lyon), the U.S. (Boston) and Canada (Montreal), Quantis is one of the world leaders in LCA. For more information, please visit: www.quantis-intl.com.

Forward Looking Statements:

Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations. The forward-looking statements in this release are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the company's operations, markets, products, services, prices and other factors as discussed in the Huntsman companies' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, financial, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors.  In addition, the completion of any transactions described in this release is subject to a number of uncertainties and closing will be subject to approvals and other customary conditions. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that such transactions will be completed or that the company's expectations will be realized. The company assumes no obligation to provide revisions to any forward-looking statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by applicable law 

SOURCE Genencor