BASF Sets Industry Standard For Sustainability and Recycling.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

"BASF's advanced engineered nylon fiber, SAVANT(TM), is intelligently designed and provides an important step in cradle to cradle recycling for the carpet industry," internationally acclaimed architect and designer William McDonough told a group of industry leaders attending the Sustainability Forum in Chicago, Illinois.

McDonough is widely recognized in the US and internationally for his leadership role in sustainable development. His design of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) headquarters in New York in 1985 is credited with starting the "green office" movement. McDonough has received numerous awards including the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation's highest environmental honor.

"My quest to find healthy, sustainable building materials and fixtures began in earnest with the EDF headquarters project, " McDonough explained. "I found that the products did not exist in the mid-1980s and they are only beginning to be developed on a wide scale now, nearly 20 years later.

"BASF is showing leadership by developing and marketing SAVANT fiber for the carpet industry to use in designing environmentally intelligent products to serve a growing marketplace demand," he said. "SAVANT is made of nylon 6, a polymer that is easily and continuously recyclable into fiber of equal or better value. BASF has the infrastructure in place to close the loop for their nylon 6, allowing it to flow as a true technical nutrient in a sustainable fiber system."

SAVANT, from the French word meaning genius or intelligent, is a natural Bulked Continuous Filament (BCF) nylon product created by BASF to exceed the researched requirements of the design and specifying community. SAVANT made its debut at the NeoCon show last year.

"Our first innovation with SAVANT fiber was the introduction of a line of products with superior stain resistance coupled with complete color flexibility and unsurpassed ozone fastness for the contract carpet market," said Ian Wolstenholme, sales and marketing manager for BASF's Carpet Products.

"We followed this breakthrough recently with the introduction of a regular dye SAVANT fiber with 90 percent recycled content. This new fiber contains a certified 50 percent post-consumer and 40 percent post-industrial recycled content and it meets the stringent requirements of BASF's performance certifications programs."

McDonough described SAVANT as a classic example of `upcycling' or making a product with higher performance attributes than the original product being recycled." SAVANT contains a uniquely high level of recycled content, without subordinating quality. It can be dyed with non premetalized dyes, without compromising fastness and it provides color flexibility which reduces inventory for the mills.

"All of these attributes individually are noteworthy in terms of sustainability but together they promote a continuous eco-effective, life for carpet, when made from SAVANT fiber. This is a true quality advantage of SAVANT nylon and why I am happy to recommend it to carpet producers who want to create high quality, environmentally intelligent products."

"BASF is the world's largest producer of chemicals and related products. Based in Mount Olive, NJ, BASF Corporation is the North American affiliate of BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Germany), which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "BF."

BASF Corporation had sales of $7.9 billion in 2000. "We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.(R)" summarizes BASF's diverse product mix including chemicals, polymers, automotive and industrial coatings, colorants, nylon fibers and agricultural products. BASF in North America employs more than 15,000 people at more than 50 locations. BASF Corporation can be found on the Internet at www.basf-corp.com." The slogan is a registered trademark of BASF Corporation.

McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC), is a product and process design firm dedicated to transforming the design of products and services worldwide. The firm's approach is based on principles found in nature, celebrating abundance and profit through intelligent, sustainable design. Since its incorporation in 1995, MBDC has brought commercially successful products to market while helping clients to create industry-leading strategies, products, and processes. Information on MBDC can be found at www.mbdc.com, or from Phil Storey, Director of Communications, at [phone].