Sustainability remains the keyword at Evonik Degussa Antwerpen

The Antwerp chemical company Evonik Degussa Antwerpen NV has published its third Sustainability Report. 2008 was an important year with the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the company. The attention for the employees and the environment is a constant concern for this important player in the port of Antwerp. In the fourth quarter it became obvious that also Evonik Degussa Antwerpen NV was not spared the consequences of the worldwide crisis. In the coming years the company will still invest in sustainability.

Social

The celebration of the fortieth anniversary runs like a connecting thread through the social part of the
Sustainability Report. For the employees, surrounding companies, organizations and stakeholders in
the neighbourhood several events were organized. This social and welfare component is very
important for the company. Also this year much attention has been paid to the training and the
personal development of the employees.

Environment

In 2008 Evonik Degussa Antwerpen NV invested 3,3 million EUR in responsible and sustainable
environmental protection. Continuous improvements of business processes make sure that the
emission standards are always achieved. Special attention was given to reduce the production of waste
by e.g. taking a new filter press installation in the water purification into service. Also in the future the
company keeps looking for innovative techniques to restrict its environmental impact where possible.
In terms of safety and health, as well as education, new important investments of approx 1,2 million
EUR were made.

Financial

In the first nine months of the year demand was on the rise, but in the fourth quarter it became clear
that Evonik Degussa Antwerpen NV was not spared the consequences of the worldwide crisis. The
sales volume at the base of the turnover decreased by 5,3% compared to 2007. Turnover increased in
2008 by 4,6% to 431,6 million EUR because of a sharp rise in raw material and energy costs, which
were passed on to customers.

By applying the cost plus system, only the economic depreciations were charged. Accelerated Belgian
depreciations led to a decline in operating profit to 7,8 million EUR compared with 22,4 million EUR in
2007.

Lutz Hippe, Managing Director of Evonik Degussa Antwerpen: “Environment, health and safety are key
elements of our policy and are an integral part of our business strategy: they are carefully weighed in
all our processes and decisions. Even now when the economic situation presents us with major
challenges, we wish to further develop the dialogue with our employees, social partners and
environment and to maintain our environmental efforts.”

Do you want to receive our Sustainability Report?
Please contact Erna Versmissen, Communication Responsible, phone: 03/560.32.64
You can also consult it on www.evonik.com/antwerpen