CLARIANT DIVESTS ITS WATER TREATMENT BUSINESS IN LATIN AMERICA TO ECOLAB

São Paulo, December 18, 2014 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has signed an agreement to divest its Water Treatment business operating in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia to Ecolab Inc. The transaction is subject to certain conditions precedent, as well as regulatory approvals. The Water Treatment business of Clariant in Latin America provides chemicals and services to a wide range of industries, including textile, food and beverage, chemical, pulp & paper, and personal & home care.

The divestment to Ecolab does not include Clariant’s Water Treatment activities related to the oil and gas industry in the Latin America region. This segment has been integrated into the Oil & Mining Business within the Natural Resources Business Area. Clariant has been providing products and services for the oil & gas sector for more than 30 years in Latin America, with production plants and laboratories to develop solutions to attend to present and future customer demands.

"The divestment of the Latin American Water Treatment business is a result of our continuous active portfolio management, based on Clariant‘s profitable growth strategy", said Michael Pronin, Region Head Latin America. "Our company will continue providing Water Treatment solutions to the oil & gas segment, as part of the package of services we offer to this important industry in our region".

Ecolab is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services. "We are very excited in signing this transaction with Clariant, a multinational company that shares the same principles and with customer profile and business very compatible to ours. This acquisition strengthens Ecolab position as leader in industrial water treatment segment, expanding our market share and increasing our competitiveness in this sector", added Luis Gustavo Pereira, Vice President & General Manager for Latin America in Water and Process Services at Ecolab.