01.2022 | English Edition/APAC MAGAZINE FOR EMPLOYEES AN EYE ON RAW MATERIALS LANXESS focusing on sustainability with its Scopeblue range PAGE 6 Energy Becoming Scarce Putin’s war is exacerbating the situation Page 5 Diversity, Not Discrimination How diversity strengthens teams Page 14

04 LANXESS Worldwide FOCUS 06 Sustainable Products Pervade Everyday Life A product’s entire value chain, from its raw materials to its sale in stores, should be transparently sustainable. LANXESS is right in the middle of this chain and is playing a leading role with its Scopeblue range. 11 “We Are Setting an Example for Others to Follow” Board Member Anno Borkowsky sees a lot of potential in the new line. L A K O L e w ö L y m a S y b n o i t a r t s u l l i / S S E X N A L : t f e l e h t n o o t o h P S S E X N A L , k c o t S e b o d A : o t o h p r e v o C PRODUCTS AND QUALITY 16 A Refreshing Duo The F&F BU’s marketing and sales team pulled off a coup – they successfully inked deals with major soft drink manufacturers. 18 Lancer/Success 18 Puzzles and Competitions 20 Always a Step Ahead of the Rest Pooling knowledge and delivering perfect products for the local market is one of the main objectives of the AADC in Shanghai. 32 Quality Works A breath of fresh air. PEOPLE AND TEAMWORK 12 Now One Thing Ties into Another LANXESS Distribution was largely merged into the F&F BU on January 1. Our coworkers report on the process. 14 Diversity, Not Discrimination The world of LANXESS is colorful, bringing together people with nearly 80 different nationalities in more than 30 countries. How does this diverse group work together so effectively? 19 In Demand Around the Globe Xpress reporters share their stories 23 How Can the Easiest Thing in the World Change Lives? Our colleague Nadja Hermsdorf explains. Page 24 LANXESS APAC What’s going on at the Asian locations? 01.2022 | Xpress 03

0.9 IS OUR LTIFR for the year 2021. For the first time ever, LANXESS’ lost time in- jury frequency rate stands below one. This means that there have never been so few workplace accidents. “This is another major milestone on our path to zero accidents,” said CEO Matthias Zachert. SALES INCREASE Cologne. “We promised 2021 would be a year of growth – and against all odds, we delivered,” announced CEO Matthias Zachert at the annual press conference in Cologne on March 11. Despite massive increases in energy, raw materials, and shipping costs, the group significantly improved its sales and earnings. At 7.557 billion euros, consolidated sales in 2021 increased by 23.8 percent compared with the previous year’s figure of 6.104 billion euros. EBITA before special items increased by 17.2 percent to 1.010 billion euros, compared with 862 million euros in the previous year. Strong demand from customer sectors such as the automotive, construction, transportation, and manufacturing industries particularly contributed to the strong results across all segments of the group. “We were largely able to pass on the extreme increases on the cost side to the market,” Zachert explained. In addition, LANXESS completed four acquisitions in the midst of the pandemic, significantly expanding the Consumer Protection segment. “All of this demonstrates the strength and stability that LANXESS now possesses,” concluded Zachert. S S E X N A L : s o t o h P THREE QUESTIONS FOR ROLF KETTNER, Head of Energy Procurement, Group Function Global Procurement & Logistics “No End in Sight” The war in Ukraine is driving up energy prices. Can we ex- pect them to fall again in the foreseeable future? Rolf Kettner: It’s virtually impos- sible to make any accurate predic- tions these days. In addition to the unforeseeable impact of the war, there are other reasons for the energy shortage. We had a long winter in Europe in 2020/21, and by the spring of 2021, European gas storage facilities were empty. Everyone was still counting on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline beginning operations. At the same time, gas consumption in Europe picked up at the end of the pandemic depression, and the price of gas rose as a result. High coal prices and relatively empty storage facilities caused it to rise further. Now we have a war raging in Ukraine. The situation is coming to a head. The sanctions against Russia will also have consequences. And Norway cannot compensate for the loss of Russian supplies on its own. We expect gas to be very expensive in the year ahead. Before the war, we were anticipating an average of €75/MWh. To put this in perspec- tive, gas prices normally ranged between €10 and €25/MWh on average. In the United States, we were forecasting a price of €12.50/MWh. Now everything is up in the air. What about electricity prices? In the United States, this depends on the price of gas, which is six times cheaper than in the EU. In Europe, the EU’s Green Deal is also affecting price trends. Car- bon offset prices are increasing. High coal, gas, and carbon offset prices mean that electricity prices are also sky high. This is because even if we differentiate between coal, gas, and electricity as energy sources, the respective price fluc- tuations have an impact on each other. When China purchased coal for its industry and population in large quantities at the end of 2020, it caused coal to become scarce and the price to rise. But why are electricity prices particularly high in Germany? Germany is a special case in this respect, as the last two nuclear power plants will be taken offline here at the end of 2022 and the last coal-fired power plants will follow by the mid-2030s. At present, Germany purchases nuclear power from France. But it’s expensive because France recently produced 10 percent less nuclear power. As a result, German electricity prices have reached record levels, peaking at €221/MWh in the fall of 2021 and exceeding €160/MWh since then. Even before the war, we were expecting to see an av- erage price of just under €200/ MWh in 2022. And that applied to the whole of Europe, because prices don’t vary that much across the EU. 01.2022 | Xpress 05

MATERIALS EU’s achievement of climate and other sustainability objectives. These are only considered sustainable if they are transformed ac- cordingly – such as through the use of renewable resources or by reducing their emissions, for example. This classification sys- tem has consequences; for example, it also determines whether companies ultimately receive loans at favorable rates. LANXESS’ customers are pushing for sustainable products that reduce their carbon footprint. Each product’s value chain, from the raw material to the end of its processing, should ideally be clearly traceable and sustainable. As a manufacturer of numerous B2B products, LANX- ESS is right in the middle of this chain and has now launched the sustainable Scopeblue product range for this purpose. The brand label identifies products that are either largely made from circular, i.e., recycled or biobased, raw materials or whose carbon footprint is significantly lower than that of conventional products. This also takes into account the emissions generated by a raw material that has been purchased until it is used by LANXESS. For example, the entire value chain of Scopeblue products in the High Performance Materials business unit is certified in accordance with the ISCC Plus standard. The requirements of this International Sustainability and Carbon Certification are extremely high, and it critically scru- tinizes the entire sustainable production supply chain. This means that suppliers such as bp, from whom LANXESS sources sustain- able raw materials, must also be certified to this standard. 01.2022 | Xpress 07 RAW MATERIALS COMBINED The image below shows in a highly simplified way how sustainable and conventional raw materials are processed together to ultimately create the HPM business unit’s Scopeblue product. Cyclohexane, oxygen, and ammonia are mixed. Cyclohexane is supplied by bp from biobased or biocircular raw materials, the ISCC Plus certification label accepts oxygen as sustainable, and the ammonia is currently not sustainable. “But this is something we would like to change, something we are striving for in the future,” says Schröer. If this were successful, HPM’s Scopeblue product would not be only 92 percent, but nearly 100 percent sustainable.

THE QUANTITIES ARE THE PROBLEM This is why HPM’s sustainability team is investigating which other raw materials can be replaced with sustainable alternatives. Cy- clohexane and, of course, glass fiber are crucial for the Durethan® polyamide-6 family, while HPM needs sustainable 1,4-butanediol (BDO) for the Pocan® line of PBT products, for example. Technical- ly, it is possible to obtain BDO from sources such as corn. “But it’s not yet available in the quantities LANXESS needs,” Schröer says. As he explains, one of the key problems with the raw materials we are looking for is “the availability of the quantities we will need in the future.” After all, HPM is ambitious and wants to offer as many sustainable alternatives as possible. For example, the glass fiber content of Pocan products can also be replaced with indus- trial glass fiber waste. But it can also be processed with PBT into high-quality blends from recycled PET waste – such as clear PET plastic bottles. “We’re not at the end of the road here, but rather at the beginning,” Schröer says. MPP FOCUSING ON SUSTAINABLE BIOCIDES Franziska Sophia Römhild works in product management in the Material Protection Products business unit: “For years, customers in the household sector have been asking me: ‘when are you com- ing out with a sustainable biocide?’” This is another area where customers are pushing for organic products. Instead of high-per- formance chemicals that are cost-efficient and offer maximum ef- ficacy at low doses, the call for preservatives with lower toxicity but greater environmental compatibility is growing louder. For about two years, MPP’s BIO business line has been looking for suitable preservatives for detergents and cleaning products. According to laboratory manager Pietro Rosato, biocides usually only account for less than one percent of a product. They are, however, very important. They ensure that the products don’t spoil and they kill harmful microorganisms such as fungi, yeasts, and bacteria. The EU’s Biocidal Products Regulation is strict. Only very few active ingredients are approved, and even fewer are suitable to be cer- tified under labels such as the EU Ecolabel, Blue Angel, Nordic Swan, or Ecocert. “It would be virtually impossible for us to find and get new biocidal active ingredients approved,” Römhild says. The time and financial investment required would simply be too great. That's why the team led by Rosato is concentrating on the use of boosters, which are designed enhance the efficacy of EU-ap- proved sustainable biocides. At the same time, petrochemical for- mulation aids are also being replaced with natural or nature-iden- tical alternatives to a greater extent. “The whole thing is quite 01.2022 | Xpress 09

“WE’RE SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW” to that of the other business units. “Our customers are under in- tense pressure to reduce the carbon footprint of their products. As a result, they also want sustainable ion exchangers for drinking water filter cartridges,” says Schagun. In addition, the business unit has also acquired the coveted REDcert2 sustainability certifi- cation for the Leverkusen facility. The team expects both to give it a competitive edge. FIRST ION EXCHANGERS WILL CONSIST OF AROUND 90 PERCENT SUSTAINABLE RAW MATERIALS Like their colleagues from other BUs, LPT faced the problem of finding suitable suppliers. They also need their raw materials to be certified. But then LPT succeeded for acrylonitrile. The first delivery of this sustainable raw material is expected in Leverku- sen in early summer. It accounts for about 90 percent of the ion exchangers needed for the drinking water filter cartridges. “It goes without saying that we’d like to use the Scopeblue label for this. In a PTSE test, our first sustainable Lewatit products qual- ified for Scopeblue,” says Alexander Scheffler, Vice President Global Marketing, LPT business unit. In the future, LPT will not only be able to supply its direct custom- ers with ion exchangers, but will also be able to perfectly meet the needs of private consumers, who will then not only be protecting the environment when they quench their thirst with purified water from the tap, but will also be using ion exchangers that meet the strictest sustainability criteria. Mr. Borkowsky, how important is the Scopeblue prod- uct line to us as a company? Anno Borkowsky: Extremely im- portant, because it is a path toward sustainable products and supports our goal of becoming carbon neu- tral by 2040. We are currently screening all our raw materials at LANXESS. We want to know how many of them we can acquire in biobased, partially biobased, or re- cycled form, and with what carbon footprint. The more raw materials we can replace in this way, the more sustainable our production will be. Over the long term, chem- ical recycling is also an important method of effectively returning raw materials that are already found in the business world to the produc- tion cycle. Because in the long run, the circular economy is a neces- sary step in order to manufacture products sustainably. But this is precisely where there are still some challenges to overcome... Much more research needs to be conducted to make chemical recy- cling economically viable. The focus has to shift to Scope 3, and thus the supply chain, including in the po- litical arena, because there are still doubts here about whether chemi- cal and mechanical recycling are on par with each other. Thanks to our ISCC Plus certification, LANXESS is setting an example for others to follow. This certification focuses on the supply chain; it assesses how sustainably our suppliers have pro- duced the raw material. LANXESS intends to play a leading role in this respect within the chemical indus- try. But we expect politicians to do their part as well. If industrial activi- ties are to become sustainable, the appropriate framework also needs to be created for this purpose. Where do you see the greatest potential for this product line? Looking to the future, I say in all areas. But in the short term, HPM, AII, and LPT are the business units that have to overcome the greatest challenges due to their product portfolio and are already actively developing solutions them- selves. But I also see great poten- tial for additives and consumer products as well. for 01.2022 | Xpress 11

TIES INTO ANOTHER Some of the employees who sold the LANXESS business units’ industrial prod- ucts have now transferred to the respective BUs. But LANXESS didn’t want to lose this LD team, which has successfully sold the products worldwide and gained a great deal of experience in the process. After all, its success could also be expressed in figures, and year after year they gen- erated a tidy profit in the millions of euros for their parent company. LD also had a team for shipping, of course. Axel Kreischer was part of it and is now Head of Transport Manage- ment in the Global Business Services Group Function. He leads a team of 25, six of whom are from the LD team. “The work is a big change for them,” Kreischer says. On this team, they are no longer responsible for the end-to-end customer relationship, and instead focus entirely on shipping. In the past, an order would come in and they would set up a delivery, initiate distribution, and make sure that the final invoice could be issued. Today things are different. Their only focus is on managing the process. “We are now dealing with other quantities that we ship for the BUs. This often allows us to nego- tiate better prices.” FIT is another thing that’s new. He himself has received some initial training, and now his team is fol- lowing suit. This is also going to change certain workflows and make them more efficient. In the end, both the customer and LANXESS stand to benefit. AXEL KREISCHER, Head of Transport Management, GF GBS: “Our integration into GBS marked the beginning of a new era for us. We are now working with much larger quantities and with FIT – which makes a lot of things more efficient. One part of our job, namely providing customers with end-to- end support, has been eliminated. Some may be a bit disappointed about that.” In the past, she says, she had to purchase sodium benzoate for a customer from an external producer, for example.“Now Kala- ma belongs to us, or rather I work in the BU that produces sodium benzoate.” The acquisition of Kalama has added many products to the portfolio that she will soo also be able to offer to her customers. She is optimistic about the future, but still needs to learn what her many new coworkers and contacts do. She looks forward to when ev- eryone finally returns to the office: “Interact- ing in person usually makes a lot of things easier.” Overall, she is happy about being integrated in the F&F business unit. “It’s the best solution for all of us,” Bader also says. It is true that it comes with a lot of changes – the product range is much larger, the sales team has also grown, and the organization as a whole is more com- plex. “But it also gives us new opportuni- ties to create more attractive packages for our customers.” Maybe working efficiently in the back- ground and offering customers attractive deals in the foreground is the ultimate tip for today’s remaining – but struggling – major department stores? “What sounds fairly simple is, in fact, a complex thing to implement,” Kreischer says. This is partic- ularly difficult at the moment, when the lo- gistics industry is facing many challenges. There probably isn’t much hope for the shrines to consumerism of earlier times – too bad, really ... 01.2022 | Xpress 13

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT Are you aware of your unconscious biases? Let’s take part in a little thought experiment and imagine the following: You have a flight to catch, and you’re late. You rush to the airport, make it through security, run to the gate, and finally board the plane – just as the door closes behind you. Phew, made it! At the same moment, the pilot comes out of the cockpit and says hi to you and welcomes you on board. You reply with a friendly hello. A few hours later, you’ve landed safely. After checking in to the hotel, you head to a restaurant for dinner. There’s a couple at the next table, happily celebrating their anniversary. You strike up a conversation and toast to many more happy years. But then it’s time to go back to the hotel, because you have been invited to a major international tech conference the next morning. And you are already looking forward to the first talk by a CEO ... Now answer the following questions: -- What color was the pilot’s skin? -- Was the married couple the same sex? -- Was the CEO giving the talk a woman? MANY CULTURES UNITED The diverse IT Controlling, Order & Vendor Man- agement team, GF IT, reports on the hurdles that it has to overcome when working together. “To me, facial expressions and gestures are extremely important. In meetings, I often gesticulate to drive home a point. I’m sure I’ve caused some of my more reserved cowork- ers to feel uncomfortable as a result.” Hakan Catalkaya (Turkey) “Can you help out? I used to agree to every request. As an Asian, you avoid saying no. This has led to misunderstandings here.” Li Foong Wee (Malaysia) “Offering candid feedback when something didn’t go so well would often be a tricky thing to do in my home country, both in my professional and personal life. In the meantime, I’ve come to appreciate people focusing on the topic at hand and remaining professional when communicating. It makes many things less complicated.” Agnieszka Mielcuch (Poland) “I like the fact that I encounter many new cultures here. This also changes who I am. I used to say that my hometown is close to Moscow – only 1,000 kilometers away. Today, even the distance from Cologne to Munich seems far to me.” Elena Shapovalova (Russia) Six! 9 Nine! 01.2022 | Xpress 15

ALBERTO PREVITALI joined LANXESS when it acquired Emerald Kalama Chemical (EKC). He works from the LANXESS office in Milan and is responsible for the Southern Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. The deals we have now secured are therefore among the most lucrative in our business unit. Alberto Previtali: The fact that we, for the very first time, succeeded in closing deals with a term of four years demonstrates that reliable supply chains are the winning argument for our customers. The worst thing that can happen to a producer is not being able to make their product due a lack of a supposedly minor ingredient such as benzoate. In this case, the supermarket shelves would remain empty. We are the only producer in the world to manufacture at two locations on two continents. This clearly sets us apart from the competition – and, in combination with the high quality we deliver, gives us the ability to command higher prices. Now that you have successfully closed these deals, what are your further goals for 2022? Philipp Borgs: We certainly aren’t stopping now – more negotiations are already on the horizon. In addition to the beverage industry, we also supply most of the well-known manufacturers in the cosmetics and cleaning industries. Discussions are already underway on how we can support our customers in stabilizing newly developed products with the help of our benzoates, among other activities. In this context, the home care sector particularly offers numerous exciting opportunities. This is why we’re working closely with our laboratory and business development colleagues to develop new solutions tailored to our customers’ specific needs. Alberto Previtali: Sustainability is another issue that will keep us busy over the next few years. We are currently assessing the extent to which we can produce our benzoate from renewable or natural raw materials. This is another example of how well LANXESS and EKC complement each other. EKC has already been in discussions with our customers regarding this issue for some time. With LANXESS and the new Scopeblue umbrella brand, we now have the opportunity to take a major step forward here. EVERYDAY COMPANIONS • F&F BU’S benzoates are found in many products that almost all of us use every day. Although they are produced chemically, they are identical to a substance found in nature. • Benzoates are used, for example, as preservatives in cosmetic products such as shampoos, creams, toothpaste, or shower gel. But they are also found in beverages such as sodas and convenience products such as frozen pizza, sauces, and ketchup. • Because it’s a very mild and well-tolerated preservative, products containing benzoates – such as dishwashing deter- gents – can be certified with an ecolabel like the Blue Angel. 01.2022 | Xpress 17

PEOPLE AND TEAMWORK IN DEMAND AROUND THE GLOBE Our Xpress reporters share what’s recently been happening at their place of work. Australia Sebastian Toh, Technical Sales Manager, LPT BU, on environmen- tally friendly ion exchangers: “We are proud to have supported Coogee Chemi- cals, one of Australia’s largest chlor-alkali producers, for many years with our Lewatit ion exchange resins for brine purification. Since the business is thriving, Coogee has now expanded its operations near Bris- bane to include a state-of-the-art cell room. With our Lewatit MDS TP208, we not only meet the strict quality requirements for the brine there, but also reduce waste from the IX system by a total of 4,200 m3 per year. As a result, we have improved overall operational efficien- cy with the finely dispersed resins while also doing our part for sustainability by conserving the valuable re- source of water here in Australia.” India Nandini Kulkarni, Sales & Market- ing, HPM BU, on the Great Place to Work® certification in India: “When we received the certification, it was a proud mo- ment for all of us in India! It reflects the management team’s ongoing efforts to create an amazing workplace culture. Moreover, the way management here in India has dealt with issues such as the mental and emotional well-being of everyone during the pandemic has been simply impressive. I firmly believe that the success of a company depends on how well it treats its employ- ees, and that’s why LANXESS India is a Great Place to Work!” South Korea Stephan Cho, country represen- tative in South Korea, is excited about the Climate School initiative: “It’s not just environmental activists who are pleased – some 370 schoolchildren and even preschool children from Seoul took part in our Climate School initiative. Through both classroom instruction and hands-on ac- tivities, we spent six months introducing them to topics such as the climate crisis, the circular economy, upcy- cling, and renewable energy. The initiative is part of the LANXESS education initiative. We want to raise young people’s awareness of environmental issues and increase their knowledge in this area. And we accomplished exact- ly what we set out to do.” China Ming Cheng Chien, country spokes- person for the APAC region, on being named a Top Employer in China: “The facts speak for themselves – we have now been named Top Employer China 2022 for the fifth time. If that’s not an achievement! Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, LANXESS continued to grow in China, we even opened the new APAC Applica- tion Development Center in Shanghai. None of this would have been possible without the tremendous dedication of all employees. This passion for the job also shows that LANXESS’ efforts to provide excellent career develop- ment opportunities for all and to promote the well-being of its employees pay off in the long run.” Mexico Juan Manuel Ramos, process engineer, LAB BU, explains how fresh water consumption at the site fell by around 90 percent: “Last spring and summer, we experienced an extreme drought in northeastern Mexico. Even though Altamira is surrounded by lagoons, water levels dropped so dramatically that the fresh water supply for the city and industry was threatened. This prompted the Altami- ra team to completely change our wastewater strategy. We converted the wastewater lines from an open-loop to a closed-loop system with modified control technology and installed a separate drinking water treatment system that is supplied with fresh water. We adapted the existing wastewater treatment plant to Mexican regulations gov- erning water recycling and reuse. As a result, we were able to reduce our freshwater consumption by 89.3 per- cent and from September to December 2021, we didn’t discharge any wastewater at all! It’s wonderful that we now produce in such an environmentally friendly way.” 01.2022 | Xpress 19

AHEAD OF THE REST Everything brand new and state of the art. “Working under these circumstances is, of course, that much more fun,” says van Aaken. AADC head Anika van Aaken (front, fourth from right, AADC head Anika van Aaken (front, fourth from right, red hair) with her team, which is still growing. red hair) with her team, which is still growing. team’s activities, van remains in close con- tact with the business units and also the headquarters in Germany. At the AADC, she emphasizes, they don’t conduct basic research in isolation from the challenges of everyday business. The team at the AADC is solving concrete problems. The local market in China often has very different requirements than the European market. “This can range from using local raw and base materials to different testing and approval processes for our products.” In this case as well, they are responsible for finding a solution. In some cases, the mar- ket also has a demand for products that are completely different from those in Europe. “The URE business unit, for example, has, in the past, produced Powder Puffs exclu- sively for the Chinese market. This idea of developing local products for the local mar- ket is also one of AADC’s jobs.” One aspect that is often crucial, she says, is pricing. “Prices are simply different on the Asian market, and we have to adapt our products to them.” This obviously has implications and affects the profitability of a product. “But together with Marketing, we’re find- Problem Identified, Tackled, and Solved The path to the outdoor area inside the chemical park in Shanghai was resplendent in bright colors – but only for a short time. The rain and sun had faded it in no time. But things weren’t going to stay that way. After all, LANXESS’ Inorganic Pigments business unit produces high-quality pigments that withstand the effects of the weather, as the AADC staff knew. A neighbor of the AADC in the park, the Röhm Asia Technology Center, offers excellent reactive resins, which together with the pigments resulted in the perfect path. “This collaboration was a win-win across the board,” van Aaken says – and the path now brightens up the day of everyone who walks along it. 01.2022 | Xpress 21

BETWEEN YOU AND ME How Can the Easiest Thing in the World Change Lives? Current literature on the subject of mindfulness describes a simple trick that is supposed to be a real miracle cure for stress, unhappiness, and negative thoughts: BREATHING! But is it really that simple? Our coworker Nadja Hermsdorf says that it’s at least a good start. I’m a scientist, a trained diving instructor, love to read and paint, go climbing, and let everything flow in the yin and yang of tai chi. I love to consciously explore new things and to face my chal- lenges (including at work) with positive energy in a self-deter- mined way. I’m a happy person. As I’m writing this, I can literally see you wrinkling your brow right now and thinking to yourself, not another mindfulness-work-life-balance And you’re absolutely right! spiel. Every day we’re confronted with a multitude of offers to eat healthier, exercise more, and get our minds off the stressful daily grind. We are literally being suffocated by all of this menacing mindful- ness. (In this context, I highly recommend the book Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse). And as we all know, suffocation is a life-threatening situation – and our natural instinct is unconsciously to escape from this threat. During scuba diving training, you learn very ear- ly on how you need to behave in a dangerous situation. Imagine the following: you’re floating at a depth of 18 meters in front of a wonderful underwater scene with sorts of its creatures, plants, sounds, and colors. Suddenly, a downward current catch- es you. You are being pulled into the depths. It’s obvious that the amount of oxygen in your scuba tank is limited – and eventually you’ll run out of air. So what do you do? The answer might surprise you – but you don’t do anything at first. Your brain only kicks in when you start to become aware of your breath. Like a mainframe computer, it then rapidly con- ducts a risk assessment of all possibilities. This critical analysis is fueled by oxygen. Divers know this. They wait for a few seconds, calmly inhaling and exhaling, and then they make a conscious decision. Those of you who are not divers will now be in for the next surprise: instead of following your first impulse to fight your way up with all your might (which, by the way, would be quite likely to have a fatal outcome), you move horizontally away from the rock face. This stops your descent into the depths. What am I trying to tell you? Viewed with a little distance and a calm mind, the menacing “mindfulness options” becomes a world in which there is much to dis- cover. Take a deep breath and take the time to choose the one which is right for you. My tip is to take a look at the “machtfit” offers at LANXESS. Nadja Hermsdorf works in technical customer service in the Liquid Purifi- cation Technologies business unit. SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE LANXESS employees possess a wealth of knowledge, and we want to spread it across the group. In this series, employees write informally about their observations or experiences. Do you also have a story to tell? Or do you have aburning question that you would like to ask an expert? Send us an email: xpress@lanxess.com 01.2022 | Xpress 23

SUSTAINABILITY DRIVES STRATEGIC SUCCESS LANXESS in Japan hosted an online seminar to share the company’s ESG vision and our positioning to the capital market with employees in APAC region JAPAN In recent years, the value of a company has not only been evaluated based on financi- al statements, but ESG perspectives have become indispensable for maintaining the reputation of the company and establishing long-term corporate value. As part of the se- ries of online seminars for employees on sus- tainability topics, LANXESS in Japan hosted an online seminar on “ESG and the capital market”, the third session in this series since December 2021. On April 1, the seminar was held online and around 150 employees in the region partici- pated. Inviting internal guest speakers, Oliver Stratmann, the head of group function Trea- sury and Investor Relations (GF TIR) and Mir- jam Reetz, Investor Relations Manager (GF TIR) from our headquarter in Germany, who talked about the role of Treasury and Investor Relations team and how LANXESS positions ESG to the capital market. “With ESG we show in concrete terms our commitment to sustainability and sustainab- le development, which are at the core of our strategy and will drive our success. As our business partners give increasingly importan- ce to sustainability and environmental topics, it is essential we continuously gain better knowledge and understanding on the same. Thereby, we can be in a better position to in- teract with them and to offer valuable, con- structive and positive business development on a sustainable basis in the future. I think it is a very important goal that we have to con- tinuously work on with a long term approach said Jacques Perez, Country Representative of LANXESS in Japan. “LANXESS is a front runner in terms of ESG,” said Stratmann during his presentation. “Over the last years, together with a cross functional team, LANXESS worked hard and achieved to receive honorable recognitions from the capital market and various ESG in- dices and rating providers.” “LANXESS is a part of many commitments and frameworks including SDGs and GRI and we comply with certain standards to un- derline our commitment. We offer extensive transparency on our commitment through those frameworks,” Reetz described as im- portant part of investor relations activities du- ring her presentation. The seminar was concluded with many spontaneous questions from the participants which covered various interesting topics and participants also learnt deeper insights and knowledge on the topic during the question and answer session. S S E X N A L : s o t o h P 01.2022 | Xpress 25

THE STORY OF CHINA CEO AWARD Statements of the winners after the award ceremony CHINA From left to right: Lucy Li from LAB, Michael Wang and Mike Lian from URE In 2020, a total of seven teams went th- rough a series of elections and finally won the LANXESS Greater China CEO Award. Here, we invite the winners of the LANXESS Greater China CEO Award 2020 for the last issue of the CEO Award story. Xpress: I would like to share with you two award-winning stories from the Lubricant Additives business unit (LAB) and the Urethane Systems business unit (URE) respectively. Please introduce yourselves. Lucy Li: Hello everyone, I am Lucy Li from LAB, and I have been working at LANXESS for six years. Haigang Ding: I am Haigang Ding, ma- nager of the Manufacturing Department of Rhein Chemie Qingdao plant. Mike Lian: My name is Mike Lian. I joined URE in 2010 and I am currently in charge of the business in North Asia. Michael Wang: Hello everyone, I am Mi- chael Wang from URE, currently in charge of URE R&D center. Although people often call me “head”, I am more accustomed to seeing myself as a “senior scientist”, because I love science very much. Xpress: The winning projects of both the teams are related to “innovation”, so could you share your stories in detail? Lucy Li: In April and May 2020, we found that all the nearly 178 tons of goods arriving at the port had sediment on the bottom. If we chose to return the goods, the whole process would take a long time, and we would be un- able to deliver the goods to our customers on time. But the current goods could not be delivered to the customer as they were. Wi- thout any previous experience, the R&D team immediately conducted sampling and analy- sis of multiple batches. Combined with the actual production situation in the plant, we developed various solutions in an attempt to solve the problem. Haigang Ding: The biggest difficulty we met with was that in the entire filtration pro- cess, the products could not be heated or pressurized, so the existing standard filtration methods could not be used, and a new filt- ration scheme must be selected. We tested five schemes, one after another, involving different filter bag specifications and filter materials. After repeated tests, we finally ad- opted 0.5μm ultra-fine filter bags. However, this filtration method is time-consuming, so we adjusted the filter bag replacement pro- cess. This not only improved filtering speed but also guaranteed filtering quality. Through the joint efforts of everyone, we were able to deliver the goods on time with qualified quali- ty and quantity, thus avoiding losses. Xpress: Thanks for sharing. When faced with difficulties, you actively seek solu- tions and boldly innovate. This is exactly “Think new, act fast” advocated by LAN- XESS in its performance culture. Now let us listen to the story of another team. Michael Wang: Our project is an automobi- le spring buffer limiter made of polyurethane microcellular elastomer which has been cer- tified by OEMs. The microcellular polyuretha- ne elastomer is actually a device that controls the travel of a car’s buffer spring. Our project integrates material, technology, structure de- sign and the entire production process. It is small but complete. The spring itself is extre- mely challenging. Mike Lian: This project is significant to both customers and the entire industry. We have become a new supplier in the industry and broken the original technology and market monopoly. This is a totally new market for LANXESS. We must work hard to satisfy the needs of our customers! Michael Wang: Right. The “innovation” in our performance culture means breaking the restrictions of rules and regulations and bra- vely imagining and verifying. Mike Lian: In the face of problems, we need to be bold, careful and calm, and think out of box. With subversive and creative thinking, we can always find solutions. Xpress I give my thanks to the award win- ners for their sharing. I hope their stories and thoughts will inspire and help us all. Our thanks go to the winners and all our employees for their efforts and contribu- tions. 01.2022 | Xpress 27

ASEAN RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION LANXESS Joo Koon site in Singapore celebrates Christmas and Long Service Awards The Joo Koon production site in Sin- gapore held its Christmas celebration and Long Service Awards presentati- on on December 16, 2021. Due to the on- going pandemic, only 20 production-related employees attended the event. Vinod Agnihotri, Country Representative of ASEAN, took the opportunity to acknowled- ge the team's dedication in 2021, especially when the pandemic and posed challenges to daily operations. He also shared the out- look of opportunities in 2022 and encoura- ged everyone to continue contributing to LANXESS’ success. The highlight of the day was the presentati- on of the Long Service Awards. The award recipients on-site were presented with a cer- tificate and a corporate gift in recognition of their years of service. “It has been a good five years of working at LANXESS with the support of my colleagues who truly demons- trated LANXESS Performance Culture. I also appreciate the company for recognizing our long-term service,” one of the awards reci- pients said. Vinod Agnihotri, Country Representative ASEAN, presented certificates and gifts to Long Service Awards recipients Long Service Awards recipients 01.2022 | Xpress 29

JAPAN EMPOWERED BY NEW COLLEAGUES Introducing Junichi Yonezu, Head of Advanced Industrial Intermediates business unit (BU AII) and Ryota Hasegawa, Head of Lubricant Additives Business Unit (BU LAB) New Head of business unit Advanced Industrial Intermediates New Head of business unit Lubricant Additives in tions for 10 plus years. Value sel- ling by “Total Cost of Ownership” model in Solar, new application development Infrastructure, and distributor management in cross business units were three main contribution. I believe that chemical will enrich our society and our life. Continuing to remain in chemical industry, I would like to flourish Japanese Chemi- cal industry with members and customers together. What is your challenge in working and managing your team remotely due to CO- VID-19 situation? Safety comes first and company direction to make sure health at each individual and their family is extremely important. Although there are limitation in Webex, I would like to utilize digital capa- bilities during this suffering pe- riod. If the circumstance allows like we had in Nov, Dec 2021, we will make opportunity to see face-to-face. What is your motto? Be patient and consistent, disci- pline, respect multi culture and solicit multiple opinions are my four working motto. We would like to introduce new Head of Advanced Industrial In- termediates business unit (BU AII) in Japan, Junichi Yonezu, who joined LANXESS as of Au- gust 2021. Having extensive ex- perience in working in chemical industry, we believe that he will bring us new value to our orga- nization. About eight months have passed since you joined LAN- XESS, how is the impression of LANXESS so far? Very positive. Though there are hurdles and challenges such as COVID 19, raw material, energy cost, logistic constraints, etc, I have observed that all members are trying their best exchanging clever ideas to overcome circum- stances. Atmosphere working as one team among BU HQ, AII Japan members, customers and distributors is precious asset to the company and pretty much proud to be part of the member. You have great experience working in chemical indus- try. Can you tell us a little more about your past career? Prior to joining LANXESS, I have devoted to promote silicone solu- adhesive market for three years. I have managed to keep sales as sole Japan key account mana- ger under circumstance of slug- gish demand. That was great experience to manage Japanese account under cooperation with colleagues in multinational orga- nization (China sales , APAC ma- nagement , APAC R&D). What is your challenge in working remotely with your team and customers due to prolonged COVID-19 situa- tion? I have learned a lot about how to efficiently communicate with distributors and customers by utilizing web meeting applica- tions. Good point is that I do not feel high barrier to communica- te with colleagues in overseas and online has been good tool to learn how to co-work quickly in LAB global organization. My challenge is how to establish a good relationship with custo- mers whom I have never met. Now I am trying to build approp- riate combination of face to face and online meetings depending on situation and purpose. What is your motto? Set future target with positive mind & work carefully on daily business. I believe challenge could be opportunity for future growth. 01.2022 | Xpress 31 We would like to introduce new Head of Lubricant Additives Bu- siness Unit (BU LAB) in Japan, Ryota Hasegawa, who joined LANXESS in August 2021. By having new leader in LAB busi- ness, it will bring us new oppor- tunities in lubricant businesses. About eight months have passed since you joined LAN- XESS, how is the impression of LANXESS so far? I felt LANXESS has established very strong position especial- ly in lubricant industry not only globally also in the local Japa- nese market. The products from LANXESS represent key material and thus indispensable in custo- mer’s formulation. Regarding the organization of LANXESS, I feel it has a very transparent and colla- borative culture and focusing on achievement with teamwork. You have extensive experi- ence in working in chemi- cal industry. Can you tell us little more about your past career? When I worked in former che- mical company, I had been res- ponsible for Japanese transplant manager in China, coating &