November 11, 2008 - The Board of Lucite International Group Limited ("Lucite" or the "Company"), has announced that the Company is to be acquired by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. ("Mitsubishi Rayon") for a total cash consideration of approximately $1.6 billion. The acquisition, which is subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities, is expected to be completed by the end of January 2009.  Lucite is the world's leading manufacturer of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and owner of the globally renowned Lucite® and Perspex brands®. The Company was formed from an amalgamation of the acrylics businesses of ICI and DuPont in 1993 and has been majority owned by the private equity investor, Charterhouse Capital Partners LLP, since 1999. Lucite owns the new low cost and proprietary MMA production route, known as Alpha technology. The Company has invested in the development of this new technology, which fundamentally changes the economics of MMA manufacturing, and the first Alpha plant has begun to manufacture MMA in Singapore in the last few days and will be fully operational by the end of this year.  The acquisition will make Mitsubishi Rayon the global leader in this market and confirms its position as the leading acrylics manufacturer in the fast growing Asian markets. The acquisition will lift Mitsubishi Rayon’s annual sales to approximately ¥600 billion, putting it well on the way towards achieving its target of ¥1 trillion annual sales. In the year ended 31 December 2007, Lucite generated revenues of £849 million and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £114 million.

October 17, 2005 - The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency have reached a major Clean Air Act (CAA) settlement with Lucite International, Inc. (Lucite) requiring the chemical manufacturer to install pollution controls on three emission sources at its Memphis, Tennessee plant, which will eliminate 6,500 tons of pollution each year. Under the terms of the settlement announced today, Lucite will install an estimated $16 million worth of new pollution controls, in addition to paying a civil penalty of $1.8 million and performing a supplemental environmental project worth $1.3 million.  The federal government alleged that the company violated CAA provisions of the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs), and the Protection of Stratospheric Ozone. Today's settlement resolves allegations that the company violated the CAA at its Memphis facility.  "The settlement announced today demonstrates our commitment to aggressively enforcing the laws that protect our environment and our citizens," said Kelly A. Johnson, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This agreement will significantly improve the air quality for the people of Tennessee."  Lucite will install a $16 million dual absorption control system on its Sulfuric Acid Regeneration Unit, which will result in the elimination of approximately 2,500 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions per year, to comply with NSPS standards.  In addition, Lucite will implement a supplemental environmental project to reroute emissions from two other plant emission sources. This will result in a 90% reduction of previously permitted emissions from these sources. Implementation of this project will cost Lucite approximately $1.3 million.   "The people of Tennessee and others downwind of this facility will soon benefit from this settlement," said Granta Y. Nakayama, Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Reducing harmful emissions from Lucite's Memphis facility is a major step toward achieving cleaner air."   "As a result of the settlement, Lucite will reduce emissions of pollutants that contribute to acid rain, cause severe respiratory problems and exacerbate cases of childhood asthma, which are of great concern to EPA," said Jimmy Palmer, EPA Regional Administrator in Atlanta.