DALTON, Ga. — December 21, 2011 — Shaw Industries Group, Inc. today announced it has received
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification from the United States
Green Building Council (USGBC) for Plant 95, an administrative facility on its corporate campus in
Dalton.

Plant 95 is the first building in Dalton to achieve certification under the LEED Existing
Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system, and the second Shaw facility to achieve LEED
certification. The 32,335 square foot facility was previously first privately owned building in
Dalton to achieve the US EPA Energy Star rating.

“The social and environmental responsibility of all our facilities is a fundamental part of
our commitment to sustainability. We are continually assessing the infrastructure and processes at
all our facilities to find new ways to increase water and energy efficiency, and to reduce the
overall impact of our buildings,” Shaw Corporate Facilities Director Jason Bowling said. “Plant 95
is a great example of this commitment — our consistent investment in improving the environmental
responsibility of this facility made LEED certification a logical next step.”

According to Bowling, the high level of energy efficiency that helped the building garner
Energy Star also made a significant contribution towards the building’s LEED rating. Shaw Corporate
Facilities Manager Rhonda Allen, one of the project leaders, agreed. “Thanks to the building’s
already high efficiency, achieving LEED certification did not require extensive capital investment;
instead, we simply had to work with USGBC to provide the appropriate documentation and tracking for
the work we had already done,” Allen said.

In addition to energy efficiency, the building scored very highly in several other areas of
the rating system, including water efficiency, water efficient landscaping, environmentally
responsible sourcing and purchasing, green cleaning, waste reduction and recycling, and lighting,
according to Allen.”

Plant 95 is now serving as a model for moving other Shaw facilities towards the LEED
standard,” she said.”Sustainable organizations require sustainable facilities,” said Shaw Vice
President of Sustainability Paul Murray. “Achieving LEED certification for our key buildings is one
of the many ways we are working to ensure we’re upholding the most rigorous standards for
environmental efficiency in all facets of our business — from product to manufacturing to our
physical infrastructure.”

Shaw’s Patcraft brand achieved LEED Gold certification for its Chicago showroom in early
2010, and several other Shaw facilities are currently at some stage of the LEED certification
process, including two additional facilities in Dalton and the Shaw Contract Group showroom in
Shanghai, Murray said.



Posted on January 3, 2012

Source: Shaw Industries Group Inc.

AMSTERDAM — December 15, 2011 — Dutch research and technology company Avantium has developed a
patented technology YXY to produce 100% biobased PEF bottles. Currently PET is the most widely used
oil-based polyester. Based on the performance of the new PEF material, Avantium believes PEF will
become the next-generation biobased polyester.

Today the company announced an agreement with The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) to further
co-develop Avantium’s YXY technology for producing PEF bottles. First milestones include the
start-up of an Avantium PEF pilot plant, officially opened on December 8th in Geleen, the
Netherlands. It is expected that other large co-development partners will join from early 2012.

Avantium’s CEO Tom van Aken: “Our YXY solution for the packaging industry creates a new
biobased plastic with exceptional functional properties at a competitive price. We believe it is
economically viable and has a significantly reduced environmental footprint. We have already made
bottles with exceptional barrier and thermal properties and our production process fits well with
existing supply chains. We plan to initiate commercial production of PEF in about three to four
years.”

PEF can be derived from any biomass feedstock containing carbohydrates, such as sugarcane,
agricultural residues, plants and grains. Using YXY as a fast and efficient chemical-catalytic
technology, these carbohydrates can be converted into a wide variety of bioplastics. Current
process economic estimates indicate that PEF will be a viable alternative to petroleum-based PET.
Says Tom van Aken: “PEF is 100% biobased and when commercialized will be fully recyclable. We
believe that PEF fulfills key criteria to become a next generation biobased plastic for food,
beverages and other applications. We are very excited about the co-development phase we are
entering with The Coca-Cola Company to continue the development of PEF and make this new material
ready for mass production and recycling. Their leadership and experience in commercializing
biobased materials make them a great partner to work with as we commercialize this exciting new
material”.

On 8 December, Avantium officially opened its pilot plant in the Netherlands, to start up its
YXY process at scale. The pilot plant, with a capacity of 40 tons per year, produces PEF material
for application development. The collaboration with The Coca-Cola Company is key to secure a smooth
transition into the mass production phase of PEF bottles. Avantium is also actively discussing
partnerships with other leading brand owners to develop PEF bottles, fibers and film. In the longer
term Avantium will license its YXY technology to enable large scale, world-wide production and use
of its biobased plastic materials.



Posted on December 21, 2011

Source: Avantium

GENEVA — December 17, 2011 — United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Trade Ministers and
WTO Ambassadors from Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali — the “Cotton Four” or “C-4” countries —
held a meeting Friday on the margins of the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland,
to discuss cotton issues, including new initiatives announced by the United States. Attending the
meeting were Ms. Madina Sephou, Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Small and Medium Enterprises
for Benin; Mr. Mahamat Allahou Taher, Minister of Commerce and Industry for Chad; and WTO
Ambassadors from Burkina Faso and Mali. 

The new U.S. proposals to help boost trade for least developed country (LDC) Members of the
WTO, particularly African cotton-producing countries, include expansion of duty-free-quota-free
treatment for upland cotton grown in LDCs; multi-year renewal of the West Africa Cotton Improvement
Program (WACIP), a successful technical assistance program for West African cotton producing
countries; and additional help for countries seeking to make maximum use of existing U.S. trade
preference programs such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). 

Speaking on behalf of the C-4 group, Chadian Minister Allahou Taher thanked the United States
for support already given to the African cotton sector through WACIP and AGOA, and for the new
initiatives, saying that once implemented, they will have a very important impact on African
farmers.

More information about the new U.S. initiatives, as well as existing cotton and other
programs, is online at 
http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/fact-sheets/2011/new-us-initiatives-boost-trade-and-investment-opportunities-l. 

During the meeting, Ambassador Kirk and C-4 officials reaffirmed their mutual commitment to
working for positive outcomes on cotton at the WTO, and noted recent successful collaboration on
cotton language in the consensus statement to be issued at this week’s Ministerial Conference.
Ambassador Kirk said, “The new cotton initiatives announced by the United States this week are part
of the Obama Administration’s broad and steadfast commitment to work with the C-4 and other least
developed countries to boost their economic growth and development. We look forward to further
coordination in Geneva, in Washington, and in all of the C-4 capitals as these new initiatives are
implemented.”

Posted on December 21, 2011

Source: USTR