The American Chemistry Council (ACC) recently gave the Responsible Care Company of the Year Award to Celanese Corp. The award recognizes those member companies that have enhanced and embraced the Responsible Care ethic of performance improvement and sustainability throughout their company.

“Responsible Care is what sets ACC member companies apart; it is a common commitment to continual improvement of our industry’s environmental, health, safety and security performance,” said Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the ACC. “Recipients of the Responsible Care Company of the Year award clearly embody these stringent performance standards and serve as a model for the industry as a whole.”

To be eligible for the award, companies must show exemplary achievement in meeting a number of Responsible Care performance requirements, including: a safety performance rating in the top 10% of companies in their size category, with zero significant process incidents in the previous year and no fatalities in at least three years; a positive trend in performance measures; and a demonstrated commitment to product stewardship goals. The company must also actively promote the Responsible Care ethic to stakeholders at the local, regional and national levels.

Celanese reportedly exceeded Responsible Care requirements in multiple areas, achieving aggressive environmental health and safety performance goals to reduce its impact on the environment and safeguard its employees and contractors. In 2010, Celanese exceeded each of its five-year goals, with an energy intensity reduction of 26%, greenhouse gases reduction of 35%, waste intensity reduction of more than 70% and an air emissions reduction of more than 40%. Most significantly, Celanese’s 2010 global OSHA injury rate was 0.15, surpassing its 2010 goal of 0.22.

For more information, visit www.celanese.com or www.americanchemistry.com.