NEW LEXAN™ FILM FROM SABIC HELPS SMART CARD MANUFACTURERS INCREASE SECURITY AND COMBAT COUNTERFEITING

Paris, France, November 5, 2014   Smart card, passport and e-ID manufacturers will be able to integrate next level security features using a patented UV laser-technology thanks to the new LEXAN SD film overlay, a polycarbonate (PC) based material from SABIC, launched today at the Cartes Secure Connexions trade show in Paris. The demand for more sophisticated solutions to protect government ID cards and other related documents has led SABIC to pioneer the development of a PC material technology that enables customers to apply a ghost image into the card or document and create a tactile white marking which will fluoresce under UV light, all during the personalization phase, giving manufacturers greater flexibility in design.   Highlighting the relevance of this first-of-its-kind SABIC patented solution, Bart Kiekens, Global Product Manager of Security e-ID Card Films for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business, said: “Identity theft, counterfeiting and other serious threats call for constant vigilance and innovation in ID card design. This new material from SABIC not only introduces a higher level of security, it also allows for easier manufacturing at a low cost and greater flexibility by allowing advanced security features to be applied during the personalization phase.”   He added: “This latest solution builds upon SABIC’s legacy and commitment towards helping card manufacturers deliver more secure products that are harder to copy, yet easy to detect by government officials.”   This highly transparent PC based film from SABIC, which will become available in gauges of 50 and 100 microns, is able to make the manufacturing process easier through a simplified integration of additional security features. Additionally, the product can be laminated using standard lamination parameters that are used to produce polycarbonate cards.   SABIC will showcase its broad portfolio of  LEXAN SD film solutions for electronic security documents at booth 4K 098 at Cartes Secure Connexions in Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, held 4-6 November. Among other benefits, the low and controlled shrinkage of the LEXAN SD films allow manufacturers to use heat and pressure to join all layers together to form a card that cannot be pulled apart. These films are also ideal for different types of printing and security features as they can be screen printed, offset printed or even hot-stamped to integrate a hologram.   Potential applications for SABIC’s portfolio of LEXAN SD films include electronic ID cards, government and police ID cards, passport data pages, green cards, and driver’s licenses.   More information about SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business and the range of broad and relevant solutions it offers card manufacturers can be found on the website (www.sabic-ip.com). For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry.   NOTES TO EDITORS

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  ABOUT SABIC Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.   SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 25.3 billion (US$ 6.7 billion) in 2013. Sales revenues for 2013 totaled SR 189 billion (US$ 50.4 billion). Total assets stood at SR 339.1 billion (US$ 90.4 billion) at the end of 2013.   SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 19 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India, China and South Korea. The company operates in more than 45 countries across the world with around 40,000 employees worldwide.   SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.   Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.   ABOUT INNOVATIVE PLASTICS SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business is a leading, global supplier of engineering thermoplastics with an 80-year history of breakthrough solutions that solve its customers’ most pressing challenges. Today, Innovative Plastics is a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in more than 35 countries and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. The company continues to lead the plastics industry with customer collaboration and continued investments in new polymer technologies, global application development, process technologies, and environmentally responsible solutions that serve diverse markets such as Healthcare, Transportation, Automotive, Electrical, Lighting and Consumer Electronics. The company’s extensive product portfolio includes thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. Innovative Plastics (www.sabic-ip.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). Innovative Plastics Media Contacts Banu Kukner E: banu.kukner@sabic-ip.com T: +31 164-291605 Michael Wheeler E: media.inquiries@sabic-ip.com T: +1 413-448-5890   Agency Media Contacts Nastasha Collins E: natasha.collins@interpublic.com P: +44 207-067-0637