BASF supports ‘Operation A+ School Supply Drive’ for upcoming school year
Company grant will help fund purchase of supplies for local needy students

SHREVEPORT, La., August 9, 2005 -- BASF recently presented a $1,000 “Helping Make Communities Better” grant to the "Operation A+ School Supply Drive," a partnership between KTBS Channel 3 and area businesses.

In addition to the financial contribution, BASF employees are supporting the collection of school supplies for more than 1,000 needy children in Caddo and Bossier parishes. The initiative provides students with supplies such as notebooks, pens, pencils, dictionaries and rulers for the upcoming school year.

“ We're proud to be able to support outstanding community programs such as Operation A+,” said Dan Leal, BASF's Shreveport site manager. “Having the necessary supplies is an essential ingredient to learning. Our employees wanted to do their part to help make the school year better for these students.”

BASF’s Shreveport facility manufactures and packages a range of pharmaceutical products. With about 200 full-time employees, the site is a leading manufacturer of prescription-strength ibuprofen. The site is located on more than 40 acres along I-49 in Shreveport.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 10,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $11 billion in 2004. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s intelligent solutions and high-value products help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. In 2004, BASF had approximately 82,000 employees and posted sales of more than $50 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.

For more information, contact:
Debbie Hynes
BASF
Shreveport, La.
Tel: (318) 861-8310
E-mail: hynesd@basf.com

Glenn Majeski
BASF
Florham Park, N.J.
Tel: (973) 245-6070
E-mail: majeskg@basf.com