Clariant to raise paper industry brighteners, chemicals prices by 8% to cover inflation on raw materials, energy and transportation

MUTTENZ, Switzerland, March 29, 2011 (Press Release) - Clariant's Business Unit Paper, a leading supplier of Optical Brighteners, Colorants and Chemicals to the Paper industry, announces price increases across its product portfolio.

The adjustments, which take immediate effect, are necessary to recover significant on-going cost inflation in raw materials, labor, energy and transportation.

Price increases of 8% will affect all product groups and as contracts allow. Selected individual products will experience higher increases due to the severe impact of their particular raw material cost increase.

Clariant's customers will be contacted individually regarding the specifics of the price increases as they apply.

Clariant is an internationally active specialty chemical company based in Muttenz near Basel. The group owns over 100 companies worldwide and employed approx. 16.200 workers at the end of February 2011. In the financial year 2010, Clariant produced a turnover in excess of 7.1 billion CHF. Clariant is divided into ten business units: Additives; Detergents & Intermediates; Emulsions; Industrial & Consumer Specialties; Leather Services; Masterbatches; Oil & Mining Services; Paper Specialties; Pigments; Textile Chemicals.