Ecolab Named to List of World’s Most Ethical Companies for Third Consecutive Year

Business Wire, April 17, 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Ecolab Inc. announced today that it has been named to the “2009 World’s Most Ethical Companies” list by the Ethisphere Institute. This is the third consecutive year Ecolab has earned a spot on the list.

"We are honored to once again be named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies,” said Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ecolab. “In view of today’s business climate, our inclusion in this outstanding group is particularly meaningful and underscores the importance of developing a strong ethical culture. We believe that strong business ethics are critical to delivering profitable, sustainable growth, and the work we undertake to ensure all our associates understand and maintain our high ethical standards is a critical part of running our successful global business.”

Ethisphere Institute is a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. It is the third year the Institute has published its rankings, which appear in Ethisphere magazine’s Q1 issue.

The extensive research process included reviewing over 10,000 of the world’s leading companies on six continents. Ethisphere analysts reviewed codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluated investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looked at companies’ activities to improve corporate citizenship; studied nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers; and worked with consumer action groups for feedback and rating. For more details, visit www.ethisphere.com.

With sales of $6 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.

(ECL-C)