Effective July 31, 2008, Norit Activated Carbon is announcing a price increase of 15% to 40% depending on the specific activated carbon product.

Activated carbon is produced using raw materials of carbon containing materials like coal, lignite, wood etc. The world market prices of these raw materials (energy carriers) are related to the world oil and gas prices. The prices of fossil fuels and chemicals have escalated during the past 12 months. The price of phosphoric acid - which is the main activation agent for the chemical activation process at our Glasgow plant – tripled in the past six months. Inevitably such drastic cost increases have a fundamental impact on the production of activated carbon and the related business of Norit Activated Carbon and its customers.

The above developments are heavily increasing our production costs and are caused by reasons beyond our control. As a consequence, in all reasonableness and fairness, it would not be sustainable to pass on the risks and the consequences of the unexpected cost increases solely to Norit Activated Carbon. Therefore, after careful consideration, we have announced the above mentioned price increase with immediate effect.

We regret the need to inform you about these developments and ask you for your understanding.

We value the business you have entrusted to us and assure you that we are continuing our cost control efforts. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging period.