• Board of Executive Directors and employee representatives call on BASF employees to donate
• Company will match donations by its employees
• BASF companies in Asia/Pacific have already made initial donations

BASF and its employees worldwide have been deeply shocked by the consequences of the devastating tsunami in countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The company and its workforce therefore want to help support the victims in their distress and enable the reconstruction of the devastated areas.

The Board of Executive Directors of BASF Aktiengesellschaft has therefore agreed to provide €1 million in immediate aid. Employees throughout the BASF Group worldwide will also be given the chance to make a donation to help the victims of the catastrophe. BASF will match the amount donated by its employees through January 31, 2005.

In a joint letter from the Board of Executive Directors, the Works Council and the Committee of Executive Representatives, BASF employees are called upon to contribute to the appeal. “The damage resulting from this once-in-a-century disaster is unimaginable. It is our upmost concern to help the people in need. Therefore, we call on all our workers to make a donation,” said BASF Chairman Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht.“

The exact use of the donations will be decided together with local companies and aid organizations.

BASF Asia Pacific's incident management procedures were immediately triggered after the disaster to verify the safety of employees of all companies and sites in countries damaged by the Tsunami. BASF has sites in the affected countries, but none directly in the affected areas. BASF companies in the region have already made initial donations to help the victims.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. BASF’s portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003, BASF had sales of more than €33 billion (circa $42 billion). BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.