August 28, 2007 – Basell, the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing, is the sponsor of Nobel Web’s new educational “Heating Plastics” game, which is being launched today on Nobelprize.org, the official web site of the Nobel Foundation.

“Heating Plastics”, which is part of Nobel Web’s Educational Outreach Program, is a game designed to educate children 14 years and older about plastics – how they are made, what they are used to produce and the Nobel Prize-awarded chemistry behind their creation.

“We are proud to be a sponsor of an educational tool that highlights the significant contributions that plastics make every day to improving our quality of life,” said Massimo Covezzi, president of Basell Research and Development. “We are equally as proud of the fact that Basell predecessor company scientists Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963 for their revolutionary work in the development of polyethylene and polypropylene polymerisation. Over 40 years later, we still produce catalysts that bear their names and that continue to produce high performance plastics which meet the needs of today’s consumers.”

“Heating Plastics” features a talking toy duck which guides visitors through the game and illustrates the chemistry used to create various types of plastics. Visitors are presented with a variety of plastic items and are tested on their knowledge of polymer chemistry, judging whether an item is a thermoplastic (which melts when heated), or a thermoset (which does not melt when heated). Each correct guess is awarded a “catalyst”, a substance that initiates the polymerisation reaction to form a plastic, and winners who collect enough catalysts can produce their own toy duck.

The game also features an informational section that explains in detail the different types of plastics, the history of plastic development, and how plastics have impacted our society.

“Our hope is that the game inspires students to become the Zieglers and Nattas of the future who continue to innovate for generations to come,” added Covezzi.

Basell is the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing. It is the largest producer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefin products; a leading supplier of polyethylene and catalysts, and the industry leader in developing, licensing and providing technical services for polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. Basell, together with its joint ventures, has manufacturing facilities around the world and sells products in more than 120 countries. Additional information about Basell is available at www.basell.com.

To access the “Heating Plastics” game, click on the following link: http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/chemistry/plastics

For more information contact Mark Mendelson, Basell Corporate Communications, at +1 410 996 1319 or mark.mendelson@basell.com or please visit our newsroom at www.basell.com/content/newsrooms