China's Ministry of Commerce signs off on Nalco, Ecolab merger, providing last regulatory approval required to complete merger

Alison Gallant

NAPERVILLE, Illinois , December 1, 2011 (Nalco) – Nalco Holding Company (NYSE: NLC), announced today that it has been informed that the proposed merger between Nalco and Ecolab Inc. has been cleared by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). The MOFCOM clearance is the last of the regulatory approvals required to complete the merger.

Shareholders from both Nalco and Ecolab overwhelmingly approved the merger of the two companies on November 30, 2011. The completion of the merger remains subject only to customary closing conditions, and Nalco anticipates that the parties will proceed to complete the merger effective today.

About Nalco

Nalco is the world’s largest sustainability services company focused on industrial water, energy and air applications; delivering significant environmental, social and economic performance benefits to our customers. We help our customers reduce energy, water and other natural resource consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom line. Together our comprehensive solutions contribute to the sustainable development of customer operations. Nalco is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes. More than 13,000 Nalco employees operate in 150 countries supported by a comprehensive network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research centers to serve a broad range of end markets. In 2010, Nalco achieved sales of $4.25 billion. For more information visit www.nalco.com.

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