Old carpet at Renton Community Center gets a new lease on life

BASF's Recycling Program Saves Valuable Resources and Landfill Space

Renton, WA, October 23, 2000 -- Thanks to the joint efforts of the city of Renton, Blue Ridge Commercial Carpet, Décor Carpet One and BASF, the carpeting recently replaced at the Renton Community Center in Renton, Washington, is being recycled through BASF's 6ix Again® recycling program rather than taking up valuable space at a local landfill.

Globally, BASF is committed to Sustainable Development and has developed guidelines to continuously protect employees, customers and the environment. In addition, BASF supports the Worldwide Responsible Care® initiative by making products which are safe to manufacture, safe to use and safe to dispose of.

"BASF's commitment to sustainability drives us to reduce manufacturing emissions and wastes," said Ian Wolstenholme, Sales and Marketing Manager Carpet Fiber Products. "We approach our products from a cradle to cradle eco responsibility as typified by this project and the 6ix Again® Program. Since 1999, BASF has included recycled content in all of its branded yarn systems."

The Renton Community Center is a heavily used multi-purpose facility owned by the city of Renton that provides its citizens access to a variety of recreational activities as well as meeting accommodations. According to John Gentry, President of Décor Carpet One in Renton, who performed the installation, the old carpeting was about 11 years old and had seen its better days due to the Center's extensive use and heavy traffic.

"We installed approximately 1,000 square yards of new carpeting in all the common areas, offices, and weight room," said Mr. Gentry. "Overall the project went very smoothly and covered about three days. I'm proud to be involved in a project such as this that incorporates an element of environmental responsibility."

The new carpeting installed in the Center was manufactured by Blue Ridge Commercial Carpet. According to Brian Spitzer, the company's Sales Representative in Seattle, "The new carpeting is called Mirada V and it is one of our top-selling, high performance products. It is made with BASF's Zeftron 2000® solution dyed nylon fiber and carries BASF's highest heavy traffic rating for commercial carpeting. This is the first recycling project for us to be involved in and we are happy to help lead the effort and try to make more people aware of this important option."

Launched in 1994, 6ix Again® was the industry's first comprehensive recycling program that provides an ecologically sound alternative to disposing of commercial carpet in landfills. Under 6ix Again®, BASF assumes responsibility for the environmentally sensitive disposal of returned 6ix Again® certified carpets at the end of their useful life. Also, existing carpet being replaced by a 6ix Again® carpet is eligible for return and environmentally sensitive disposal, regardless of yarn type or construction components, from any location in North America.

"BASF has continued with the strategic evolution of the 6ix Again® program since its introduction," said Tim Blount, Manager of Marketing Programs at BASF. "Including recycled content in all of our Zeftron® nylon and SAVANTTM yarn systems we manufacture and sell is simply the next phase in our plan for creating a truly sustainable manufacturing system for our carpet fibers products."

BASF recycles virtually all of its nylon 6 pre-consumer waste. With regards to the environment, BASF follows one basic philosophy: "Economic and ecological interests are equally important to the company."

For more information about BASF's commercial carpet products and resources, including the 6ix Again® recycling program, visit www.nylon6ix.com or call the BASF Create® Center at (800) 477-8147.

BASF Corporation and its subsidiaries is the third largest producer of chemicals and related products in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with sales of $7.2 billion in 1999. 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.

"We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better."® summarizes BASF's diverse product mix including chemicals, polymers, automotive and industrial coatings, colorants, pharmaceuticals, nylon fibers and agricultural products. BASF in North America employs more than 16,000 people at more than 50 locations and has an Internet site at http://www.basf.com. SAVANTTM is a trademark and Zeftron®, Zeftron 2000®, Create®, 6ix Again® and the slogan are registered trademarks of BASF Corporation. Responsible Care® is a registered trademark of the Chemical Manufacturers Association, Inc.