IMERYS Minerals Japan Establishes New Joint Venture Company with Hokuetsu Paper

IMERYS Minerals Japan is pleased to announce that it has formed a
joint venture company with Hokuetsu Paper - Niigata GCC Company, Ltd.
The company, for which IMERYS Minerals Japan is the majority
shareholder, will be responsible for the on-site production of ground
calcium carbonate supplying 100% of Hokuetsu Niigata mill's
requirement for GCC. The plant will be supplied with raw materials
from IMERYS operations in Malaysia and Vietnam.

A ground breaking ceremony for the plant was held on March 6th
2007. IMERYS is delighted to have been chosen by Hokuetsu as their
partner for the supply of ground calcium carbonate to the Niigata
mill. Niigata is one of the most renowned paper producing sites in
Japan. It is also one of the largest paper producing locations in the
world, producing 980,000 mt of paper products a year.

IMERYS brings the technology of its products and applications, its
local presence in Japan with two well established GCC plants, and an
unsurpassed access to raw materials in the Asia Pacific region to a
partnership with Hokuetsu that has lasted over the past 20 years.

IMERYS looks forward to working with Hokuetsu in this venture and
becoming a member of the Niigata community.

Notes to editors: IMERYS Pigments for Paper is a world leading
producer of white pigments, manufacturing kaolin, ground calcium
carbonate (GCC) and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). The business
group serves the needs of the international paper industry and employs
2,846 people, operates 44 industrial sites in 19 countries and
represents 23% of IMERYS' overall revenue.