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ST. PAUL, Minn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--For the second consecutive year, Nalco, an Ecolab company (NYSE: ECL), was selected as a preferred supplier for the paper industry by readers of Pulp & Paper International (PPI) magazine, a leading industry trade publication.

"This customer feedback reinforces the value Nalcoas innovative technologies and services bring to the paper industry"

Results of the magazineas 2011 Brand Awareness and Preference Study among pulp, paper and paperboard manufacturers around the world indicated that more readers anticipated buying products and services from Nalco in the next twelve months than from any other supplier in four categories of chemical programs. Survey respondents also identified Nalco as their most preferred supplier of programs to treat mill boiler, steam and cooling systems, and the most preferred supplier of biocides and retention and drainage aids used in the wet end of the papermaking process.

aThis customer feedback reinforces the value Nalcoas innovative technologies and services bring to the paper industry,a said Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab chairman and chief executive officer. aNearly four out of five 2011 study participants indicated that sustainability was important or very important to their job, and providing effective and sustainable solutions is the cornerstone of our business.a

The Brand Awareness and Preference Study is an annual survey conducted by PPI magazine publisher RISI. RISI is an information provider for the global forest products industry, including the pulp and paper, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue, nonwovens, printing and publishing industries.

About Ecolab
With 2011 annualized sales of $11 billion and more than 38,000 employees, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that provide and protect clean water, safe food, abundant energy and healthy environments. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services tothe food, energy, healthcare, industrial and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries.

Nalco, an Ecolab company, specializes in industrial water, energy and air applications, helping customers reduce natural resource consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases and improve productivity.

For more news and information, visit [ www.ecolab.com ].

(ECL-C)