The Samba school Vila Isabel and BASF join forces to offset carbon emissions generated during carnival parade

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – January 24, 2013 – BASF, the official sponsor of Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school for the 2013 carnival, announced in Rio de Janeiro a project to offset carbon emissions for the Samba School's entire carnival parade and production. Committed to sustainable development in all its initiatives, BASF - with support from the Fundação Espaço ECO^® (FEE^®) - saw an opportunity to address the topic of sustainability through the School's theme, which this year will highlight the importance of Brazilian agriculture.

Sustainability will be reinforced by a scientific study on the emissions generated during the process of producing the carnival as a whole. The idea is to measure the volume of carbon generated throughout the carnival preparations and parade itself. This will be accompanied by a concrete offset effort of planting and monitoring trees.

The scope of the study carried out by FEE covers the calculation of and offsetting measures for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) that result from the production of costumes, allegorical floats and activities in the sheds (including labor), in addition to the movement of vehicles used in the parade and its participants. The study will also cover emissions related to all the technical rehearsals conducted by the School. In this way the analyses will span the start of activities in preparation for the 2013 parade (also in 2012) through the parade itself (February 12, 2013).

For this purpose, the analyses are being conducted according to the ISO 14.040 method. This method evaluates environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product or service, including steps ranging from the removal of its raw materials from nature, to the production process and final disposal of the product, also known as a “cradle-to-grave” analysis.

“In addition to being a unique initiative for Brazilian carnival, the effort to offset Vila Isabel’s carbon emissions from the parade involves several stages and is quite comprehensive. It encompasses everything from creation of the first prop to the moment the School crosses the dispersal line in the samba avenue, called Sapucaí”, said Maurício Russomanno, Vice President, BASF Crop Protection Unit for Brazil. All data will be compiled in final form after the 2013 carnival.

For Wilson da Silva Alves, president of Vila Isabel, the initiative will strengthen the School's efforts on the eve of the 2013 carnival: “Our primary objective at each carnival is to bring topics to the population that interest society as a whole and that lead to greater understanding and awareness. Offsetting the School's carnival emissions is another ingredient that we will bring to the parade; together with the samba theme on the importance of Brazilian agriculture this will make it a great year for Vila Isabel's carnival,” he stated.

The Mata Viva Environmental Adaptation and Education Program reaches a milestone: one million trees planted
It was also announced on this occasion that the Mata Viva Program had reached the milestone of one million trees planted. To mark the event, a symbolic seedling of pink royal mahogany was presented; these species are native to the Atlantic Forest biome and is known for its longevity.

Mata Viva partners with organizations associated with agriculture in major producing regions of Brazil. In these areas, environmental adaptation efforts are being conducted together with rural producers to ensure the recovery and restoration of permanent conservation areas (PCA) and continued tree planting. Measures include including identification, mapping and diagnosis of the farms, to help rural producers to comply with legislation. The program has successfully planted areas in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso, which include the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes.

In addition to a million seedlings, the program has been responsible for diagnosing more than 41,000 hectares on 144 rural Brazilian farms since its inception in 1984.

Vila Isabel samba school sings Brazil as the world's granary – “add water to the beans, we have another guest...”
In July 2012, BASF's Crop Protection Unit and Vila Isabel Samba School announced the company's official sponsorship of the School’s parade for the 2013 carnival.

This year, Vila Isabel will highlight the importance of Brazilian agriculture with the theme “Vila sings Brazil, the world's granary – add water to the beans; we have another guest...”, emphasizing Brazil's agricultural potential in the context of growing world demand for food and energy. The theme chosen by the School will pay tribute to Brazilian farmers and their work.

“Since the launch of the video ‘One Hungry Planet and Brazilian Agriculture' in 2010, we have been thinking how we could take this awareness-raising message about the importance of agriculture to a wider audience. We presented the idea of the theme to Vila Isabel, who promptly accepted our challenge. We are highly motivated, and we're awaiting the results of this partnership in the parade”, concluded Russomanno.

About BASF’s Crop Protection Division
With sales of € 4.1 billion in 2011, BASF's Crop Protection Division is a leader in agricultural defense and a strong partner of agroindustry in supplying fungicides, insecticides and herbicides that are well established and highly innovative. Farmers utilize BASF products and services to improve their profitability and the quality of their crops. Our products are also used in public health, structural/urban pest control, ornamental plants and lawns, control of vegetation and tree farming. BASF's objective is to turn knowledge into immediate success. BASF's Crop Protection Division seeks to be a leader in innovation by optimizing farm production, improving nutrition and thereby raising the quality of life for the world's steadily growing population. You can find more information here or follow us on our social channels.

About BASF
BASF is the world leader in chemicals: The Chemical Company. Its product portfolio includes chemicals, plastics, performance products, products for agriculture, and even oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in every industry to meet their company's current and future needs. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, providing wholesome food and nutrition, and helping to improve quality of life. This contribution is summed up in our corporate strategy: “We create chemistry for a sustainable future.” BASF posted sales of approximately € 73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees at the end of the year. BASF shares are currently traded on the Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN) stock exchanges. More information about BASF is available at www.basf.com or in our corporate profiles on Facebook (BASF Brasil) and Twitter (@BASF_brasil).

-Sales in South America totaled approximately € 4.4 billion in 2011 (This result includes deals made by the Group's companies in the region, including Wintershall - a company located in Argentina, producing crude oil and gas).

- In South America, BASF had more than 6,200 employees at December 31, 2011.

About Fundação Espaço ECO^®
Established in 2005, Fundação Espaço ECO^® was set up by BASF - The Chemical Company, with support from GIZ, the German Cooperation Agency for Sustainable Development. It is located in São Bernardo do Campo/SP in an area of some 300,000m² classified as a Greenbelt Biosphere Preserve of the State of São Paulo by UNESCO. Fundação Espaço ECO^® is a Center for Excellence in Education and Management for Sustainability, with the mission of promoting sustainable development in the corporate environment and in society by transferring knowledge and technology, especially for the application of solutions in socio-eco-efficiency and education for sustainability, focusing on social, environmental and economic aspects. More information about Fundação Espaço ECO^® is available at www.espacoeco.org.br.