We are pleased to announce that SunPine AB of Sweden received the 2018 Climate Champion of the North award from the North Sweden Energy Agency on November 6. We, Harima Chemicals Group Inc., have made investment in SunPine via LAWTER Inc., our subsidiary.

Furthermore, Lars Stigsson and Valeri Naydenov were awarded this year's Polhem Prize by the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers on November 14. Lars is the founder of SunPine and Valeri is its technical R&D director.

These awards were bestowed in recognition that SunPine contributes a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in Sweden through promoting a biofuel refined from crude tall oil (CTO)[*1]. SunPine is about to increase production of tall diesel by 50 percent by 2020, which will reduce climate impact further.

SunPine upgraded the plant for extracting rosin components from CTO, which were previously consumed as fuel, and has produced tall oil rosin since 2015. This was accomplished with funding and technologies from Harima Chemicals Group. LAWTER can secure tall oil rosin as a main raw material in the Europe region, its main market, according to the contract that SunPine supplies it to LAWTER with priority.

We will continue to strengthen the relationship with SunPine so as to build a sustainable society based on our corporate philosophy: "Live a better life with what nature provides."

[*1] a by-product of kraft pulp production from pine trees

SunPine AB
https://www.sunpine.se/en/

About Climate Champion of the North
An annual environmental prize to spotlight the companies that enable others to achieve energy transition on northern Sweden. (refer to the link below)
https://www.sunpine.se/en/pressmeddelanden/sunpine-prisas-for-gron-transformation/

About Polhem Prize
Sweden's oldest technical prize instituted in 1876 to commemorate Swedish great inventor, Christopher Polhem, awarded for high-level technological innovations or ingenious solutions to technical problems. (refer to the link below)
https://www.sunpine.se/en/pressmeddelanden/innovatorsduo-bakom-talldiesel-belonas-med-polhemspriset/

Contact
Public Relations, Harima Chemicals Group, Inc.
URL: https://www.harima.co.jp/en/inquiry.php