Albemarle Recognized by American Chemistry Council with Responsible Care® Performance Award

BATON ROUGE, La., May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) , a global leader  in delivering innovative specialty chemicals , clean energy solutions and outstanding safety performance, announced today that it has received four awards from the American Chemistry Council (ACC) for the company's outstanding contributions to the improved performance of the chemical sector.  

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Albemarle received the "Responsible Care® Performance Award," which recognizes companies who excel at helping ACC meet industry-wide safety, as well as product stewardship targets.  Albemarle is one of only ten companies to receive this award.

In addition, Albemarle also received a "Responsible Care® Facility Safety Certificate," presented to companies with particularly high-standard achievements in employee health and safety performance.

Furthermore, Albemarle received two "Responsible Care® Significant Improvement in Manufacturing" awards for two plant projects.  The Bayport Facility in Pasadena, Texas, and the South Haven, Michigan facility were recognized for their continual efforts in energy conservation.

In presenting the awards before an audience of 300 chemical industry executives at the annual Responsible Care® conference in Miami on May 3, 2010, ACC President and CEO, Cal Dooley said, "For more than twenty years, Responsible Care has represented a common commitment of companies working together to continuously improve our industry's performance.  The companies and individuals recognized today have distinguished themselves as leaders in our commitment to sustainability."

Niomi L. Krzystowczyk, Albemarle's Division Vice President of Health, Safety & Environment, commented on the recognition. "As a company, we strive for leadership in all areas of our business, particularly in the areas of sustainability, health, safety, and environmental stewardship.  In 2009, Albemarle achieved its best safety record in the history of the company."

"Receiving these awards on the heels of our record safety performance is particularly gratifying," Krzystowczyk said.  "They formally acknowledge our commitment to promoting sound sustainability practices throughout our organization and with our partners, customers and the communities in which we work and live."

About Responsible Care:

Since 1988, members of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) have significantly improved their environmental, health, safety and security performance through the Responsible Care® initiative. Participation in Responsible Care is mandatory for ACC member companies, all of which have made CEO-level commitments to uphold these program elements:

• Measuring and publicly reporting performance;
• Implementing the Responsible Care Security Code;
• Applying the modern Responsible Care management system to achieve and verify results; and
• Obtaining independent certification that a management system is in place and functions according to professional standards.

Responsible Care is also a global initiative that is practiced currently in 53 national associations, which share a common commitment to advancing the safe and secure management of chemical products and processes.

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. The Company is committed to global sustainability and is advancing its eco-practices and solutions in its three business segments, Polymer Solutions, Catalysts and Fine Chemicals. Corporate Responsibility Magazine recently selected Albemarle to its prestigious "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 2010. Albemarle employs approximately 4,000 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. To learn more, visit http://www.albemarle.com .

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE Albemarle Corporation