Orion S.A.’s new Sustainability Report highlights contribution to electrification

Houston, TX – Orion S.A. released its 2024 Sustainability Report, showcasing how the company is making materials that are essential for a world with increased electrification of mobility and energy storage.

For more than a century, Orion has been supplying battery makers. The new report highlights how the company is expanding its presence in high-growth markets driven by the shift toward electrification.

Key opportunities include supplying differentiated conductive materials for:
Battery energy storage systems, which are in high demand due to the rise in renewable energies as well as the expansion of energy-intensive data centers.
High-voltage wire and cable applications, essential for electrification infrastructure.
Lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, a market that continues to grow despite short-term fluctuations.

“Discussions about battery materials often focus on metals, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. But conductive additives, such as carbon black, are just as critical,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “Every battery needs them because they improve electron mobility, battery performance, safety and reliability.”

The report also details how Orion’s acetylene-based conductive additives are the purest of all commercially available carbon blacks and have the lowest carbon footprint. Last year, the company broke ground on a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in La Porte, Texas, that will be the only U.S. facility of its kind producing the material.

“We see sustainability as a strategic business opportunity,” Painter said. “Our ultra-pure conductive additives are helping power the global energy transition, from electric vehicles to grid-scale storage batteries. We’re proud to support and help enable a cleaner, more electrified future.”

The Sustainability Report can be downloaded from the Sustainability page on Orion’s website