Mr. Au Seng Thoy, Operations Director, ICI Paints (M) Sdn Bhd. receiving the award from Dato' Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry

Kuala Lumpur, 15 December 2010 - AkzoNobel's best practices and commitment to uphold responsible care and Health, Safety, Environmental & Security are recognised by many quarters, notably the Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia (CICM). Safety, health and environment are the mainstay of AkzoNobel operations, so it is no surprise when the company was recently awarded two Gold awards for Process Safety and Employee Health & Safety Codes under the General Chemicals category at the CICM Responsible Care Awards for 2009.

AkzoNobel also obtained Silver Awards for the Pollution Prevention and Product Stewardship Code, and a Merit award for their Distribution Code under the same category. These accolades are a testimony of AkzoNobel's dedication to incorporate sustainability at the core of manufacturing operations to encompass product stewardship across the supply chain, and their relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and the communities.

"We are proud that the industry has recognised our efforts and approach for a successful management of chemicals throughout their life cycle," said CW Goh, Managing Director, ICI Paints Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

"While we maintain the high quality standards of our products, we also take practical steps to ensure our product manufacturing and distribution processes are carried out in such a way that pollution, waste and other environmental impacts are minimised. We have developed a framework to demonstrate the essential relationship between the three elements of environmental, economic and social aspects, which together map out the journey towards sustainability," he added.

The CICM Responsible Care Awards 2009 was held on 8 December 2010 to commend the 121 companies which have to date signed up as Responsible Care signatories in Malaysia and only a total of 26 companies were awarded during the CICM Responsible Care Awards 2009.

The Awards was first organised in year 2002, with the aim of honouring and recognising the efforts and commitments of Responsible Care signatory companies that have made the most progress in implementing the Responsible Care's Six Codes of Management Practices. The signatories are audited to determine their level of compliance to the Responsible Care Codes of Management Practices.

Reinforcing its status as one of the world's most committed and sustainable organisation, AkzoNobel is consistently ranked as one of the leaders in the chemicals sector on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) over the past few years. In 2009, the company's sustainability agenda gained much momentum with 20 per cent of its revenue generated from eco-friendly solutions. The global company's target is to increase the share of its turnover for eco-friendly solutions to at least 30% in 2015.

For more information, visit http://www.icidulux.com.my or call the customer care hotline at 1-800-88-9338.