South Korean Chemical Industry Council Granted Full ICCA Membership Russian Chemists and Russian Chemical Workers Unions Join Responsible Care Family

Washington, Brussels, 8 October 2008 – At their meetings on 3 October, the Board of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) approved the nomination of Mr. Christian Jourquin, CEO of Solvay, as President of ICCA for the next two years, and the ICCA Steering Committee elected Mr. Alain Perroy, Director General of Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council), as ICCA’s Secretary for the same period. Mr. Jourquin recognized that the coming years will be crucial for the global chemical industry. “Firmly grounded in the belief that the benefits of chemistry are absolutely necessary to respond to the needs of future generations, ICCA is fully committed to the long-term vision of a strong and innovative chemical industry. Our industry is at a crossroads and will continue to respond to unprecedented challenges and to grasp opportunities for improvement in many issues essential Brussels, Belgium (31 October 2007) – The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), representing global chemical manufacturers, announced that the Republic of Korea’s chemical industry association, the Korean Chemical Industry Council (KOCIC), has become a full member of the global association. This decision was approved at ICCA’s fall Board of Directors Meeting in Budapest. This means the KOCIC has embraced core ICCA product management efforts such as the Responsible Care® initiative and the Global Product Strategy. ICCA encourages associations in the same region to co-operate to improve regional industry performance. At its meeting in Paris, the ICCA’s Responsible Care Leadership Group (RCLG) granted membership to the Russian Chemists Union and the Russian Chemical Workers Union. The Russian organizations have been working over the past several years to implement the Responsible Care performance program in their countries and presented their program to the RCLG in October. This represents a major step in the implementation of the Responsible Care initiative and the expansion of the Responsible Care Global Charter and the Global Product Strategy. The Responsible Care Global Charter establishes a new, broader and more vigorous performance agenda for the international chemistry industry. It focuses on sustainable development, effective management of chemicals along the value chain, greater industry transparency and increased global consistency among Responsible Care programs in countries around the world. The Global Product Strategy (GPS) was developed to expand and coordinate the global industry’s commitment to product stewardship and the safe use of chemicals throughout their lifecycle. The GPS includes plans for product administration, a tiered process for risk characterization and management, as well as product stewardship focusing on working with downstream customers. In addition, the GPS provides potential opportunities for industry partnerships with intergovernmental organizations and provides best practice and public information sharing among countries.