Evonik’s Mobile Site Donates $5,000 To Mobile Opera    

Company’s Continuing Support To Benefit Students Throughout The Area    

MOBILE, Ala., April 28, 2008 – Evonik Degussa Corporation, which is celebrating its 35th year of operations in the Mobile area, today contributed $5,000 to the Mobile Opera to help fund educational programs for students.  

Earl Jackson, executive director of the Mobile Opera, said the organization was “extremely grateful” for the donation, noting Evonik Degussa Corporation gave a similar amount last year.  

“We are thrilled with the continuing support we receive from Evonik Degussa Corporation,” said Jackson. “The company is always there to help out. Evonik’s support of the arts community has been fantastic. We would love it if more companies in the area were as generous as Evonik.”  

Tom Bates, president of Evonik Degussa Corporation and Mobile site manager, said the company has always been a strong supporter of the arts since coming to Mobile in 1973.  

“We are excited because our donation will be used to help defray the costs of the newly hired education director for the Opera, who will seek to introduce more students and residents to the magic of the Opera,” said Bates. “We are proud that Mobile has an award-winning Opera Company that is recognized throughout the world.”  

Jackson added that Evonik Degussa Corporation’s support comes at a critical time for educational institutions. “Right now, schools are facing severe financial constraints, so it is important that companies like Evonik step up to the plate and help introduce more young people to the joys and enrichment of Opera.”  

Founded in 1946, Mobile Opera is Alabama's Oldest Performing Arts Organization and is recognized by OPERA America as the 15th opera company established in the United States. The establishment of the Mobile Opera Guild Auxiliary – the eighth in the nation to be affiliated with the Metropolitan Opera Guild – provided an outlet for the countless volunteers whose support throughout the company's history has been so vital to its success.   

With approximately 700 workers, the Evonik Mobile site is one of the area’s largest employers. This site manufactures a wide range of products that create the essentials necessary to enjoy a better standard of living today and tomorrow.

For more information about Evonik’s North American operations or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit  http://www.degussa-usa.com/north_america/en/media/news/.  

For additional information, visit the Mobile Opera website at http://www.mobileopera.org  

Company information
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2007 about 43,000 employees generated sales of about Euro 14.4 billion and an operating profit (EBIT) of more than Euro 1.3 billion (preliminary figures).

Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.