BASF Supports Japan Disaster Victims

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE has decided to contribute more than $700,000 (500,000 euros) to the Central Community Chest of Japan as immediate aid to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This donation will be provided by the BASF Social Foundation.

Additionally, the company will start a global donation campaign among its employees, including those in North America by BASF Corporation, to fully match contributions one-to-one.

Dr. Jurgen Hambrecht, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF, said, "The deepest sympathy of the entire BASF team worldwide is with the people of Japan. This is why we are making an immediate donation and also ask all BASF employees to do their part in donating to the victims of this unprecedented disaster. We will double this amount."

All of the approximately 1,700 BASF employees in Japan are safe and taken care of, including local employees, international delegates and business travelers. BASF has recommended that employees in strongly affected areas move to less affected regions, and is providing logistical support. The company will continue to provide assistance to employees whose housing was destroyed or damaged by the earthquake or tsunami. Especially for BASF sites in the northeast of Japan, the company is helping to provide basic temporary support such as food, water, batteries, and lodging to those with damaged homes.

Immediately after the earthquake, BASF set up Country and Regional Incident Management Teams to support employees as well as assess and manage the situation from an operational and business perspective. BASF has 35 operations sites (including 27 production sites and 8 R&D and technical centers) and 49 sales offices in Japan.

The Central Community Chest of Japan has been active in Japan since 1947. Its programs are comprehensive and include donations to children, old and disabled people as well as assistance for victims of disasters.

BASF – The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,400 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.7 billion in 2010. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, and agricultural products to oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than 63.9 billion euros in 2010 and had approximately 109,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com or in the Social Media Newsroom at newsroom.basf.com.

SOURCE BASF Corporation