Westlake Epoxy’s Green Leap: A New Era for Sustainable Industrial Resins

HOUSTON, TX – May 04, 2026 – Westlake Corporation has announced a significant advancement in its sustainability efforts, achieving the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS for its Westlake Epoxy plant in Deer Park, Texas. This certification marks a pivotal moment for the chemical industry in North America, enabling the production of a wide range of epoxy resins with verifiable renewable content, a move that directly addresses the escalating demand for greener materials in high-performance sectors like wind energy, automotive, and construction.

The certification covers liquid epoxy resins (LER), solid epoxy resins (SER), and specialized blends, all of which are fundamental components in products requiring exceptional strength, durability, and chemical resistance. Starting immediately, customers across the U.S. and Europe will have access to these materials under Westlake’s EpoVIVE™ brand, which guarantees the same performance specifications as their conventional counterparts but with a significantly improved environmental profile.

A Strategic Step in Global Sustainability

This achievement is more than just a single plant certification; it represents a calculated expansion of Westlake Epoxy's global strategy to embed sustainability deep within its supply chain. The Deer Park facility is the second of the company’s plants to receive ISCC PLUS certification, following its site in Duisburg, Germany. This dual certification across two continents solidifies Westlake’s position as a key enabler of sustainable manufacturing for its global customer base.

“This is an important milestone for Westlake Epoxy in North America and a key step in bringing more renewable raw materials into our global supply chain,” said Brian Powers, Senior Vice President of Performance & Essential Materials, in a statement. “ISCC PLUS mass balance-attributed certification at Deer Park allows us to offer U.S.-made epoxy resins produced under a certified mass balance system, with the same high performance our customers expect. It strengthens our global EpoVIVE™ platform and supports our customers as they pursue their sustainability objectives.”

This strategic alignment allows Westlake to provide a consistent and reliable supply of sustainable epoxies to two of the world’s largest industrial markets. For multinational corporations striving to meet their own ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) targets, having access to a certified, transatlantic supply chain for critical materials is a powerful competitive advantage. While competitors like Olin and Huntsman are also advancing their sustainability initiatives, Westlake's dual-certified global footprint for epoxy resins sets a new benchmark in the industry.

“Each new ISCC PLUS certification is another step in Westlake Epoxy’s strategy to integrate renewable carbon materials into our raw material supply chain, while working to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,” Powers added. “This latest certification further demonstrates Westlake’s long-term commitment to responsible manufacturing, supporting more sustainable epoxy solutions for customers worldwide.”

Demystifying the 'Mass Balance' Approach

At the heart of the ISCC PLUS certification for chemicals is the 'mass balance' approach, a crucial accounting method that makes the transition to sustainable feedstocks feasible for complex, large-scale industrial processes. In an ideal world, renewable and fossil-based raw materials would be processed in entirely separate facilities. However, the economic and logistical realities of the chemical industry make this impractical.

Mass balance allows for the co-processing of both certified sustainable (e.g., bio-based) and conventional (fossil-based) feedstocks in the same production units. While the physical molecules are mixed, a rigorous chain-of-custody system tracks the exact quantities of sustainable inputs. This allows the system to attribute a proportional amount of the sustainable content to a specific batch of the final product. Essentially, if 10% of the input is certified renewable material, then 10% of the output can be sold as a certified sustainable product.

ISCC PLUS provides the independent, third-party verification that ensures these claims are credible and traceable from the source of the renewable feedstock all the way to the finished epoxy resin. This method provides a pragmatic pathway for industries to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and lower their carbon footprint without having to build entirely new infrastructure. It is a vital tool for driving incremental, yet substantial, change across the entire value chain.

Meeting Surging Market Demand for Green Materials

The timing of Westlake's expansion could not be more opportune. The global market for bio-based epoxy resins is on a steep upward trajectory, with market projections forecasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 9% and 12% over the next five years. This growth is fueled by a confluence of factors, including stricter environmental regulations, corporate sustainability mandates, and growing consumer awareness.

Several key industries are driving this demand:

• Wind Energy: The push for renewable energy sources has put the wind industry itself under the microscope for its own environmental impact. Epoxy resins are critical for manufacturing the massive, durable blades of wind turbines. Using ISCC PLUS certified epoxies allows turbine manufacturers like Siemens Gamesa and Vestas to lower the embodied carbon of their products and advance their goals of creating a more circular blade lifecycle.

• Automotive: As automakers race to produce lighter, more fuel-efficient, and increasingly electric vehicles, the demand for high-performance, sustainable composites and adhesives is soaring. Certified epoxies help manufacturers reduce the overall carbon footprint of a vehicle, a key selling point in an eco-conscious market.

• Construction: The building and construction sector is a major consumer of coatings and structural adhesives. With the rise of green building standards like LEED, architects and builders are actively seeking materials with verifiable sustainable credentials to reduce the environmental impact of their projects.

By providing a product that delivers on both performance and sustainability, Westlake Epoxy is removing a significant barrier to adoption for these performance-critical applications. The EpoVIVE™ platform effectively tells customers that they no longer have to choose between achieving their engineering specifications and meeting their sustainability targets. This shift signals a new era where industrial performance and environmental responsibility are no longer mutually exclusive, but intrinsically linked.