Bayer donates EUR 150,000 for emergency aid and reconstruction in Greece

In view of the devastating forest fires in large areas of Greece, the Bayer Cares Foundation is making available EUR 150,000 for reconstruction measures in the western Peloponnese. Senior Bayer Representative and Managing Director in Greece, Norbert Schmidt-Gollas, today presented the mayors of Ancient Olympia and Oleni with checks for EUR 75,000 each. The funds are to be used to rebuild a health center and a school in these villages.

“Bayer would like to use its donation to support people who have lost everything. We are looking to offer hope for a new start and provide a sustainable example of solidarity and support,” said Werner Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG. “The fires have placed severe restrictions on the lives of the inhabitants in many villages on the Peloponnese,” added Norbert Schmidt-Gollas. “We are helping in Olympia and Oleni so that important communal facilities are up and running again, especially those for children and patients.”

The massive fires in the last few weeks have claimed the lives of over 67 victims and caused damage at an as yet unmeasurable level. According to current estimates, over 180,000 hectares of land, more than a hundred villages and at least 1,500 houses have been destroyed. No employees of Bayer Hellas have been harmed and no damage has been caused to the company’s plants.

Four years ago Bayer Hellas also launched an aid campaign to reforest woodlands on Mont Pentili in Athens that had been destroyed by earlier fires. Every spring Bayer employees plant between 2,000 and 3,000 trees. The costs are borne by the company.

Emergency aid is a key feature of the commitment to charitable causes by the Bayer Cares Foundation, which was established in July this year. The Foundation aims to provide fast and unbureaucratic help to people who find themselves in acute emergencies through natural disasters. Under the motto “Contributing to greater humanity” the Foundation also funds social projects in and around Bayer sites and promotes voluntary involvement by the Group’s employees.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. The company’s products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time Bayer creates value through innovation, growth and improved earning power. The Group is committed to the principles of sustainable development and acknowledges and accepts its role as a socially and ethically responsible “corporate citizen”. Economy, ecology and social responsibility are corporate policy objectives of equal rank. In fiscal 2006, Bayer employed 106,000 people and had sales of around EUR 29 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 1.7 billion, the R&D budget to EUR 2.3 billion.