Oji Holdings Acquires AustroCel Hallein, a Biorefinery Company in Austria

Oji Holdings Corporation (President: Hiroyuki Isono; Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo) announces the signing of a share transfer agreement with TowerBrook Capital Partners ("TowerBrook"), an international investment management firm, to acquire all shares of AustroCel Hallein GmbH (Head Office: Austria; hereinafter "AustroCel"), a company engaged in the manufacturing and sales of dissolving pulp (hereinafter "DP") and bioethanol.

AustroCel is one of Europe's leading biorefinery companies which manufactures DP, with applications in bio-based performance chemical products and utilizes the residual streams that are generated during the production of DP to produce advanced biofuels. The business supplies bio-based products to a global customer base and operates a circular, zero waste model, which extracts the full value of wood.

Austrocel has made significant investments in recent years resulting in a highly profitable business model which is recognised by customers as a differentiated biorefining platform. In particular, AustroCel is a pioneer in the bioethanol sector, beginning commercial sales in 2021. Additionally, the company's lignin-based hydrogel granules made from byproducts of DP, is a biodegradable solution which absorbs and subsequently releases water thereby significantly reducing irrigation needs and supporting farmers facing the ongoing challenges of climate change.

This acquisition will accelerate the transformation of our business portfolio, moving the Forest Biomass Business to the core of Oji Group, which is proposed in "Medium-Term Management Plan 2027" announced in May 2025.