SDK Group Recycles 7.16 Million Aluminum Cans in FY2008

Tokyo, May 25, 2009 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) and its Group companies continued to perform their aluminum can recycling activities in fiscal 2008 (April 2008 - March 2009) as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, collecting approximately 7,160,000 cans: equivalent to around 116 tons of aluminum when converted at the rate of 16.2 grams of aluminum per can. The aluminum can recycling activities by the Showa Denko Group started in 2001 when SDK merged with Showa Aluminum Corporation, which had launched the activities in 1990. As of the end of last year, 7,320 employees, or 94.2% of all Group employees in Japan, participated in the activities. The participation rate represented a substantial increase, compared with 90.9% a year before. The collected cans are purchased by SDK and used to produce recycled aluminum cans. Using the money resulting from the recycling, SDK made donations to regional social welfare organizations and volunteer groups that aid people with special needs. The recycling enables a 97% conservation of electricity compared with the production of aluminum metal from bauxite. It also means lower consumption of bauxite - a limited resource - and reductions in the volume of industrial waste to be discharged. We are working hard to enhance our corporate value and meet the expectations of all stakeholders. And we aim to earn the full trust and confidence of the market and society, always managing operations based on the principles of CSR. We will continue developing environment-friendly products and technologies, including graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles; ultrabright LED chips and epitaxial wafers for SiC power devices for the conservation of energy; platinum-substitute catalysts for fuel cells for the conservation of resources; and production of chemicals from used plastic. About Showa Denko Showa Denko K.K. ('SDK'; TSE: 4004, US: SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. SDK makes petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene), aluminum products (ingots, rods), electronic equipment (hard disks for computers) and inorganic materials (ceramics, carbons). The company has overseas operations and a joint venture with Netherlands-based Montell and Nippon Petrochemicals to make and market polypropylenes. In March 2001, SDK merged with Showa Denko Aluminum Corporation to strengthen the high-value-added fabricated aluminum products operations, and is today developing next-generation optical communications-use wafers. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp . Contact: Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) IR & PR Office Phone: 81-3-5470-3235